The world is f*cked, but it doesn't have to be

by Leslie Suazo

01/16/2024

I hate old people.

Our world today is the product of the people operating it in the past. I say this as someone born in 2001. 

Older people will never be able to understand Millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha. Especially on a psyche level. They will never be able to understand the aesthetic we 20-year-olds try to encapsulate, the trends, the overstimulation, the deep loneliness, the inability to focus, the comparison, the references to keep up with. They won’t ever understand the irony of having abundant access to information yet feeling more lost than ever. Not to mention, it costs $100 to step foot outside. Being born and raised during the age of the internet, social media, and late-stage capitalism is fucking difficult. So, if you are a young person you should give yourself more credit for just being here. I am proud of you, I know it’s hard sometimes but there is hope. We are that hope. You are that hope. 

I never explained why I hate old people. First off, they shame us for going to therapy, call us weak, and use religion as their only form of healing. Yes, having faith can be beautiful and healing, but Rebecca I’m pretty sure Jesus would want me to better myself and get the help YOU need. Let’s not forget God gives talents to individuals for the greater good;  “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others” Peter 4:10 (NIV). 

Secondly, the older generation settled. They sat down and watched the world burn and did nothing about it. They got married at an early age with people they barely knew or liked. They didn’t explore themselves first. Now they are divorced or in a sad marriage. They had kids and passed their burdens onto them. Not everyone is meant to be a parent I’ll tell you that. Why would you have kids if you’re not emotionally, financially, and spiritually healthy? How stupid is that? Wear condoms, people. 

Yet we are “selfish” for not wanting to procreate at the ripe age of 21. 

The older generation lacks self-awareness. The older generation didn’t question a 40-60 hour work week. They didn’t question textbooks, history, or the government, most importantly they didn’t question themselves. They just took it. The older generation lacks proactivity. So now here we are, thriving huh? Take this generalization with a grain of salt, not all old people are this way. 

The numbers don’t lie. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the US. 1 in 4 adults feels lonely. A quarter of our people feel lonely!!! Isolation and loneliness are worse than a pack of cigarettes. It’s important to recognize that genuine connection is rare. Do not let the media fool you. Most people have 1-3 true friendships. It’s also important to recognize that one can feel lonely despite being in a relationship, I’ve felt this way myself (and you should probably get out if you do so too). 

As we continue in this fast-paced life, we lose ourselves, our sense of being, our community, our connections with people. And without the people we love and without doing the things we love, what is it all even for? 

In America, it’s normal to work nine hours a day. It is encouraged to take on more projects aside from your day-to-day work. In America, you go to work, you come back tired, and you muster all the energy you have left in prepping for the next work day. Finally, you end it in bed scrolling your life away. This is not a life. 

I know there is a feeling of wanting to run away from it all. My friends and I often talk about running away from it all. But where? Oh, you’ll move to a cheap country and make things harder for the locals living there? Realistically, how will you go off-grid? How will you afford a “van life”? You can’t. Stop running away from it. 

This leads me to my final point: We must be the future we hoped for. The time is now. It is our duty as humans to make this world a better place. I encourage all of us to change the system little by little. We are the future. You are powerful, believe it or not. I encourage us all to fight back by not letting this system turn us into working isolated monkeys. I encourage you to talk to your neighbors, go to the library, participate in organizations. Build an organization. Have weekly homemade dinner dates with your friends, it’s cheap if you all pitch an ingredient in. There’s $5 wine out there, it does the job. Try to make new friends. Be vulnerable. Sketch in your journal, run, walk, hike, share your ideas, call your friend, call your grandma. Try. Discuss how things can be better and make them better. Invest in yourself, and your hobbies. Join that class. Give up trends and save to travel to educate yourself. The real interaction will teach you much more than the internet. If you find yourself in leadership roles, change the way things operate! Make it more human. You are not your work, you are not your mistakes, and you are not your parents’ mistakes. You are here to live and have a good time while doing so. You are here to positively impact the world. I know you have it in you. Choose wisely to whom you give your money to. Choose carefully with whom you share yourself with. I promise you, not everyone and everything is as bad as it seems, at the end of the day, we are all just trying to have a good day. 

Let’s strive to make this world a better place for us all. Let’s not run away from the problems, let’s fix them. Let’s not replicate our parents and burden future generations. Most importantly council your cousins, siblings, and students. They are the future and they need our help the most right now. A lot of them were born with an iPad and many are struggling at a very early age. Don’t judge them, teach them. Give them the tools they need. 

I know this is a heavy topic and the weight of the world rests on a lot of us, but I am hopeful. I am very hopeful.