Millennial generation has been thought to be tough to manage as they feel entitled, more often narcissistic, self-interested, unfocused, lazy and confounding to leadership. If you ask them, well they say, they want a purpose in life, they want to make an impact, and they also want more free stuff. This sounds fair enough, perhaps. But many thinks this generation is struggling to keep its feet back on the ground so it needs psychological and intellectual support. There are many factors but the first we will talk about is the thing called “failed parenting”. Failed parenting stems from the parents notion that the child is “special” and “will always get whatever they want in life”. Children of these parents were made to believe that they are specials all the time. This generation in turn grows up with low self-esteem, alienated by the world because of lack of opportunity to face the challenges of daily life, distracted and confused by technology, pretending that everything in life is OK even though they are not. Somehow, time comes when they realize that online realities can never be the same as how they really have to live life.
Once you realize that you are not special, and that you really have to battle with wolves out there in the jungle you live in, you might feel so little and powerless against these perceived challenges and risks. The entire images in front of you will be shattered. Alienation makes you turn more to technology and social media, feeding the addiction of dopamine for instant gratification and satisfaction. This numbing effect by dopamine drives many of us in the millennial generation, much like alcohol or cocaine, helping us cope with stresses and pressures of modern life. This has however displaced us and detached us from organic nature of existence. This natural state has been profoundly changed by the imbalances of different external gratification and numbing down of senses, analog or digital, such as the gadgets, pills, beer, etc. Although feeding the addiction temporarily offers relief, it is also very important to remember how dangerously capable it is to destroy important things in our life such as relationships, personal virtues, goals, etc. Too much of these indulgence have caused tragic consequences to many and it is this kind of cultural addictions (gambling, texting, drinking, eating, etc.) also unfortunately destroys our planet on a very large scale.
In today’s millennial culture, patience is being slowly replaced by instant enjoyment to many kinds of desire through a remote control method. Let’s say if you want to watch movies, you can instantly access hundreds of them in just a few presses. If you want to buy something, you don’t have to go outside your house or even to leave your bed. Just by ordering something online, you can have the best product you really want delivered to your house. But our generation, despite of how much access it has to basic resources, still feel incomplete, unhappy, and feeling incapable; such lacking of self-confidence. It is also a generation almost inept of holding and sustaining healthy relationships with each other. For sure, there are so many exemptions. Let’s just hope it will be changed in a not so distant future.
For sure, there are many individuals that are doing wonderful things and still work hard to be useful and helpful to their community. They usually dedicate their time and energy in service to other people and they are totally satisfied spiritually because of this no matter how small their contributions are for others. Well if you really look at the grand picture, in the long run it is really not a small thing at all as they are an essential part of our contributions as given the chance to be alive on this age. But many of today’s young people often feel insignificant and ineffective; often always give up easily on many normal challenges such as from their jobs, schools, etc.
One reason is that millennials hold an abstract concept to the word “impact” and mistakenly uses it as an ideal projectuality. And this misuse was coupled with impatience and it is one of the factors that bring them confusion as to what they really want and how to really get what they want. Most of them want to have what they desire as quickly as possible without regards to the consequences of everything. This has also worsened their depression leading to more suicide and severe substance abuse. That is why we should really not underestimate impatience and instead, use our abilities to turn the tide for this generation called millennial to gain strength again.
Honestly, I myself considered a millennial and I think this generation needs more guidance from its previous generations and must be reprogrammed into more natural, slow, and organic way of living. Although, given that many in those previous generations have been lost also, it will be another challenge. But, this will help us overcome the challenges of our own digital world to find the balance and heal ourselves. Along with this, we also need good leadership; we need good corporate employers and honest businessmen and philanthropists (given that the system is still the same, capitalism!). Just like all the generations, we must have good choices in education, jobs, healthcare, politics, science, etc.
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Featured Photo: independent.co.uk/student/news/third-of-millennials-young-people-suffer-from-imposter-syndrome-in-the-workplace-confidence-mental-a7587066.html
