The Moral Decline of the Younger Generation and Other Myths

Among many other social issues, one that has been intensely discussed, especially in recent years, is the supposed moral decline of the younger generation. This is a notion that initially led me to tempting thoughts about its validity, but after much study and reflection, I realized it is one of the many myths created and propagated by specific groups of people to cover up the real problems of modern society.

 

"Youths are lazy," "youths lack respect," "youths expect everything to be handed to them," "youths have excessive demands," "youths only care about their own pleasure," "youths are in a hurry and seek easy money," "youths are irresponsible," and so many more are heard daily in conversations among many of our fellow humans. Not a few young people, due to excessive misinformation, have been convinced that their generation is indeed problematic, and thus they also participate in such toxic discussions.

 

However, the reality is entirely different. What bothers, especially the older generation, is not the "moral decline of the youth" but the fact that the advancement of technology and the rapid spread of information (whether positive or negative) to every corner of the planet has exposed their own morally degraded world, which they passionately created without a trace of guilt.

 

So let's examine what is a problem and what is not:

 

It is a problem when you accept working unpaid overtime and are happy just because you have a job. 

It is not a problem when you refuse to work unpaid overtime and are not happy doing a job unrelated to your qualifications, which you acquired with much effort.

It is a problem when you accept a job where the income will never compensate for the time, effort, and money you invested to acquire and cultivate your skills. 

It is not a problem when you do not accept this and protest against the constant frustration you experience and seek to overturn a dead-end socio-economic situation.

It is a problem when the average young worker, with incomparably more qualifications than the older one, is paid a salary that barely allows them to survive financially until the end of the month and make minimal to non-existent savings. 

It is not a problem when this young worker seeks unconventional solutions (e.g., multiple incomes, emigration, taking advantage of current trends, etc.) to reach the financial level they deserve.

It is a problem when the corrupt and entangled teach lessons against corruption and entanglement. 

It is not a problem when their listeners/students realize the extent of their hypocrisy and do not respect them.

It is a problem when victims respect their oppressors, paraphrasing the saying of Jean-Paul Sartre ("I hate victims who respect their executioners") and compromising with a system that if it doesn't lead them to ruin, it will surely lead their children there. 

It is not a problem when you fight against this system and discredit its representatives.

It is a problem when you read history, political theory, psychology, sociology, philosophy, watch profound theatrical performances, admire high art but remain a spectator in your own life, which started as a comedy and will end as a drama with many collateral damages. 

It is not a problem when you place science and art above serving your short-term personal interests and seek to overthrow a foul political-economic system.

A major problem of our time is that young people are called upon to heal a planet that the older ones have completely destroyed and continue to do so, showing remorse only at the communication level and not in essence. 

A major problem, conversely, is certainly not the tastes of the youth in terms of Art and generally in the way they choose to have fun and prioritize their personal lives.

It is a problem when you are convinced that in 2024 people are waging wars due to national or religious differences and defend the justice others have dictated to you. 

It is not a problem when you realize that modern wars start on the basis of artificial issues created to serve specific political and business interests and refuse to participate as a pawn on the chessboard.

It is a problem when you believe that the more degrees, certificates, or other academic distinctions one holds, the more successful they are. 

It is not a problem when you understand that success is an entirely subjective concept and an immeasurable and incomparable size.

It is a problem when you believe that the personal choices of a person regarding relationships or profession are "contagious" and therefore you hate them when you disagree. 

It is not a problem when you understand that a person's personal choices concern only them, are not contagious, and probably bother you because you are insecure.

It is a problem when you think that social media and video games are to blame for incidents of violence among minors. 

It is not a problem when you understand that violence among minors is caused because the bullies at school and in the squares are victims at home and remind their guardians, i.e., their parents, that their bad choices mortgage the future of their children.

It is a problem when you insult every young and/or unconventional artist whose works make you think and possibly "destroy" your worldview. 

It is not a problem when you realize that in a democracy, both the conservative and the progressive have a place. Which of the two will survive long-term and become established depends on the foresight of their exponents and the degree of their short-sightedness. For example, the short-sighted (literally) Louis XVI let his wife distribute cake to his starving people. Whether this was a foresighted choice was ultimately judged by history (and the Conciergerie).

 

In short, it is a problem when the culprits of the problems try to shirk their responsibilities and look for scapegoats. 

It is not a problem when the scapegoats realize their position and react.