All throughout history people have been trying to get somewhere. Trying to improve and move things forward. From fashion to transport and even schooling, things are constantly evolving and changing.
Living now in 2023 is the most technologically advanced point in history. Yet people are still pushing, constantly trying to find the non-existent so-called ‘perfect life’.
We are at a turning point in time. As a teenager in 2023, it’s hard not to see all the problems in our world. Political, economic and social issues are all over the place. The pressure to be great and to do something to change the world weighs high on our generation- the generation expected to fix things.
Why is it that the new generation is expected to solve the problems caused by the older ones? I don’t have an answer for that, not yet at least. I do know that we’re trying though. Facing the world’s biggest challenges is something we’re not ready for. Everything from getting good grades to climate change, the pressure seems to be on ME. And not to mention we’re dealing with many identity issues.
I’m not saying EVERYTHING about being a teenager today carries with it a morbid sense of the ‘weight of the world on our shoulders’.
There are good things too.
We may not have regency balls or endless landscapes to run around in (my parents have mentioned we don’t spend enough time outside), but there are other advantages.
We live in a time where you have easier access to different places through multiple different transportation methods. Advanced technology almost always guarantees we can reach anyone, anywhere, anytime with the click of a button. Even schools are better now, with so many different opportunities available. The fact that right now you’re at home, sitting, reading this on a laptop or phone, is proof of this. We have access to opportunities that many older people never got.
However, despite advances in technology and even in how the world views certain things, as I have already mentioned, being a teenager can be stressful. The identity crisis in our world today affects us on many different levels. Everyone has an opinion on who you should be, everyone is pushing an agenda. Finding who you are in an ever-changing world is extremely hard, but as teenagers that’s all we are trying to do. All we want is to be ourselves without someone telling us we’re wrong or pointing out useless flaws.
I’m still learning who I am and I’m lucky enough to have people around me that support me. If you want to make a teenager happy today, show them support, maybe answer some questions, it’s all we’re really looking for.
Our generation has been called many things: anti-social, sarcastic, crazy, depressed, tech-addicted, innovative, revolutionaries.
I’m not sure yet what our generation is going to be, but I do know that we aren’t meant to be another generation of innovation, another one that creates more stuff, more issues and then leaves the earth’s problems to the next generation.
No, I do have hope for our generation, we are going to be, the Generation of Revolution.
