What touched a nerve for me is in your first paragraph highlighting the normalising of having no freedom. As someone who bridges the divide between Gen Z and boomers, I also find it disturbing to see what we once had and what is no longer here.
I think the time has come for far more interaction between the two generations at the extreme - one to share the wisdom, the other to get to work to reclaim what was lost.
The sense of pain in this article crying out for a way forward had me torn between sorrow and a desire to rummage around to fix things. Jessica identifies several issues of concern for Gen Z, and I was moved as she wrote from the heart, leaving me wanting to help and hear more. Thank you for sharing. You shine when writing from the soul like this. I can't wait to learn more from you.
Jess is right that there are lots of problems Gen Z faces, many outside their control. The economy is a mess, government is overbearing, the cultural zeitgeist feeds narcissism, nihilism and anxiety. Yet, they have opportunities my generation (Millenial) and those before could only dream of. The emergence of YouTube, podcasts, Substack and the Kindle make the greatest thinkers alive (and dead) only a click away. The ideas and examples set by Jordan Peterson, Jocko Willink, Thomas Sowell and others enable motivated Gen Z's to gain an advantage over their peers. If they embrace the advantages of technology, they can "stand on the shoulders of giants" and become the leaders Western civilisation *needs* them to be. Let's be optimistic for our Gen Zers - they're our only hope!
Well articulated, Jess. Insightful.
What touched a nerve for me is in your first paragraph highlighting the normalising of having no freedom. As someone who bridges the divide between Gen Z and boomers, I also find it disturbing to see what we once had and what is no longer here.
I think the time has come for far more interaction between the two generations at the extreme - one to share the wisdom, the other to get to work to reclaim what was lost.
The sense of pain in this article crying out for a way forward had me torn between sorrow and a desire to rummage around to fix things. Jessica identifies several issues of concern for Gen Z, and I was moved as she wrote from the heart, leaving me wanting to help and hear more. Thank you for sharing. You shine when writing from the soul like this. I can't wait to learn more from you.
Jess is right that there are lots of problems Gen Z faces, many outside their control. The economy is a mess, government is overbearing, the cultural zeitgeist feeds narcissism, nihilism and anxiety. Yet, they have opportunities my generation (Millenial) and those before could only dream of. The emergence of YouTube, podcasts, Substack and the Kindle make the greatest thinkers alive (and dead) only a click away. The ideas and examples set by Jordan Peterson, Jocko Willink, Thomas Sowell and others enable motivated Gen Z's to gain an advantage over their peers. If they embrace the advantages of technology, they can "stand on the shoulders of giants" and become the leaders Western civilisation *needs* them to be. Let's be optimistic for our Gen Zers - they're our only hope!
A well written and inciteful article.