The unsatisfied new generation

Nithin A. F, Consultant Psychologist, SUT Hospital, Pattom

Nowadays youth are living a disconnected and disoriented life. There are two main perspectives on this. They view life with dissatisfaction and fear. The 21st century in which we live today leads a world-class way of life. The education, technology, per capita income, health care and other facilities provided to the children of this generation are all of a much higher standard than the previous. Even though present generation seems to be not at all satisfied with their life. They express extreme unhappiness and fear towards the life.
There are three main reasons for this

1. Different types of addictions
Virtual / digital as well as materialistic addiction is the most important category. Addiction to social media and other things makes the new generation dissatisfied.

2. Decreased interaction with others
Even before this Covid pandemic arises, the direct involvement of our youth had showed a declining trend. But this situation worsened as a result of lockdown and home isolation during the period of Covid.

3. Fear of the failure and uncertainty
This generation is nervous about the future. Historically, during World War II and the freedom struggle, that generation had a lot of uncertainty about their future. Present generation does not have the courage or confidence compared to the previous. It is evident that the new generations do not have to face such problems. One should make a decision that he will not worry about his future and ready to face it as it is.

How to solve this mental block?
Young people going through these situations need to focus on how to bring about an attitude change in their lives. The problem with new generation is that they consider ‘happiness’ as the basis of life. Momentary satisfaction and joy are the elements which keep everyone moves forward in life. They become unhappy in case if an adverse situation arises than they expected. World-renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl has elaborated on this in his books. He says that “the basic motivation of life is to make sense of life”.

The basic motivation of life really is to lead our lives in a meaningful way. Our happiness is not determined by others, it must come from within us. The realization of this truth makes life meaningful. This satisfaction comes to us when we do our duties and responsibilities with sincerity and loyalty.

Trust is essential in the relationship between two individuals. Interpersonal interactions can maintain and develop trust by being honest and sincere. We must be careful to bring all our actions and words in a meaningful way.

Today we live in a period where no one wants to talk about their duties and responsibilities instead wants to talk about their requirements and rights. But life can be made more meaningful if we do our work responsibly. This can make a drastic change in the problem that we are discussing about (unhappiness and fear). Reducing Screen time and participating in other activities which you are interested and also spending quality time with family will surely make your life meaningful. If life is organized in this way, present generation will be able to lead an effective and happy life.