My Generation Is Afraid to Live

“We are inheritors of incredible cultures, yet we have no appreciation or understanding of them. We have more informational resources than any generation prior, yet we are as ignorant as ever.”

“There is but one choice: to rise to the task of the age. Very soon, only too soon, your country will stand in need of not just exceptional men but of great men. Find them in your souls. Find them in your hearts. Find them in the depths of your country.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The lives of Generation Z (Gen Z) rest on the edge of greatness—toward a future of cultural redemption and spiritual renewal. This is to say that we are well-positioned to engage in the necessary and difficult work sidestepped by the most recent preceding generations. Given our unique plight caused by an ongoing meaning crisis and the accompanying explosion of the culture wars, my generation is—in many ways—in uncharted waters. There is a coming inflection point at which our characters will be tested and the fate of the culture will be our judge—when we will be given responsibility for how (and if) the world continues to function. I fear we will not be ready for it.

The Tragedy of Wasted Potential

Thanks to a widespread preoccupation with safetyism and mediocrity, thinking of oneself as a potential, valuable contributor to a culture or to the world is an alien concept to the average Zoomer. Without an independently recognized obligation to suffer, to endure hardships for the sake of sharpening one’s personality and character, we are led to a state of endless misery, as detailed by writer (and fellow Zoomer) Freya India. For too many, the routine of school or work (top-down instruction), binge-watching vapid television or pornography, endless partying or marathon gaming sessions, and mindless Reddit or Tik-Tok scrolling in the time outside of said obligations predominates.