A generation once defined by iPhone addictions and groufits, we’ve paved the way in creativity, technology, and… laziness. Yet, our half-bleached hairdos and caramel mocha lattes have been overtaken by a cultural climate of divisiveness, fear, and uncertainty. 

It seems as though everyday there is a new major world event that teens are forced to process.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may leave us on the brink of nuclear war, while COVID variants remain rampant and global warming continues to deteriorate our environment, homes, and health. 

Not to mention gun violence, racial and sexual discrimination, and unequal rights continue to twist their way back into our politics.

Even if we’re not experiencing these events first-hand, the severity and abundance of disasters or brutality can make one feel helpless. There is too much to fight for that it becomes overwhelming. 

Our social media obsessions have encouraged these feelings, as we have real-time accessibility to the latest updates of current events like no other generation has before. Our global consciousness enables us to understand these pressing issues on the same caliber as adults. 

For this, we are stripped of our innocence and overcome our ignorance. 

Ignorance creates close-minded people, unwilling to empathize. It is a vessel for misinformation and unproductiveness. 

Take climate change: many Gen-Xers are still complacent towards environmental issues today, choosing profit over people. But, when they were our age, could it have been their ignorance that perpetuated the pollution problems occuring today?

Is Gen-Z’s motivation to fight for our rights a reflection of our online presence, where a culture of likes, shares, and tweets can turn into awareness and activism? Why are we so different from those before?

Resilience is what separates us. To live through a pandemic amidst social unrest and environmental catastrophes. To endure change after change, on personal and global levels. We are still here, and that is a testament to our strength. 🔳