The Lost Generation

*This article is translated from my Marathi article published in the Tarun Bharat Newspaper on 18th May 2021.*

Youth. The most beautiful, adventurous and cathartic time period in a human being's life. Do you remember your youth? How were you? Were you outgoing? Or shy? Or a straight-A student? No matter how you were, those years have greatly contributed to the person that you are today. The memories that we make with our newfound friends during these years seep deep into the corners of our souls. This is the perfect time to explore in the quest to evolve into something wonderful. Here, we are just old enough to take care of our basic needs and at the same time, not old enough to bear the weight of responsibilities on our own. This turbulent yet exhilarating period exists to release us from our parents' shelter and build an existence that makes us distinctive.

The opportunities, friends, and experiences that we encounter in this period set the foundation for the years to come.

In 2019, I started my last year of graduation bearing a bundle of dreams and aspirations for the future in my mind. It was decided. I was going to squeeze every last inch of hard work from my body, ace the final exam and enter the professional world with a bang. But, as the end of the year arrived, I realized that this exam meant much more than its grades. This exam was hinting towards a daunting change that I wasn't ready for. I had gotten used to those four walls in the classroom. We knew exactly where we had to go for lunch, our hangout spotted was pre-booked and we met the same people every day. It was all so comfortable and familiar. But now, within a span of 30 days, everything was about to take a 360-degree turn. I was once excited about acing my final exam, but, here I was, worried about the darkness that lay ahead. Will I meet my friends again? What if I don't get a job? Am I even ready to seize this responsibility? My body kept on working towards the necessary, while my mind wandered into a deep river of self-realisation and fear. 

Graduation day. I think is one of the most paramount days in any student's life. Just like it's shown in the movies, everyone dreams of collecting their degree while donning that black cloak and hat. As you search for the faces of your loved ones in the audience, you can't help but get a sense of achievement. I was no exception to this dream. I dreamed of going on a trip with my friends immediately after graduation to celebrate everything. But, while we were lost in our dreams, we didn't have the slightest premonition as to what was waiting for us ahead. 

Since the end of 2019, the world is fighting an invisible monster and everyone has suffered its consequences. Some are losing their jobs, while some are losing their loved ones. In this hustle with fate, the youth have somehow become lost. The youth is known to be full of life and potential. We are expected to work through thick and thin and not get tired. It is said that the youth have a wider scope of opportunities than their previous generation. But, the pandemic has not only resulted in stagnancy in our careers but also in our minds. The grand graduation ceremony that we were all looking forward to, never happened. We didn't get to see the proud faces of our loved ones cheering on in the audience, we didn't get a chance to say goodbye to our friends and teachers. My degree, which I earned after 4 years of rigorous hard work, came to me in my mail like an Amazon delivery package. Even though we are in touch with our friends through social media, the human touch to these emotions has gotten trapped in the virtual world. 

Everyone has a dream. Many students dream of landing their dream job after college, or their dream university. But in this race of life and death, the struggles that the youth are facing, are getting overshadowed. In spite of having the time, energy and potential, we feel vulnerable. Our consciousness doesn't allow us to express these thoughts when we see our parents struggle to keep things in place. No matter how real the emotions are, they are negligible in front of the struggle that the world is facing right now. 

But everything comes at a cost. While we understand the plight that the world is in, not sharing our thoughts and emotions has taken a toll on our mental health. Many are battling some mental illness without getting the proper treatment. 

No one knows when all of this will end and everything will go back to normal. No ones knows when the economy will recover. But regardless of the circumstances, the world goes on and the industries strive to function. To work at any organisation, a certain amount of calibre and experience is required. Since we are a batch of fresh graduates, we lack exactly that. That is why, in a time of inflation and recession, it is particularly more difficult for us youths to establish our identities as skilled professionals. Let us rewind to 5 years back where Covid-19 didn't exist. What did a batch of fresh graduates have to worry about? They had to worry about the same things. Establishing themselves, becoming financially independent and live life. But now, Along while all of these goals still persist, an additional obstacle of the pandemic has been slammed on us by fate.

That is why the youth of today is more scared of mental emasculation than the social battle. Perhaps we are also afraid of losing one of the most precious moments of our lives. We are afraid that after a few years, the only memory of our youth was of the pandemic. It's hard to even imagine how many dreams must've become trapped because of this tiny virus that has overpowered mankind. My intention behind writing this article is to address the issues unfiltered that the youth of the world are facing. 

This is an open request to all the elders in the family. If you have a young soul in your house, take some time off from your work and your gadgets and sit next to them. Try and have a conversation that doesn't involve the pandemic, the economy, grades, future and expectations. Try to bond with your family by spending some quality time together. This will not only help you to understand their emotions but also bring you closer as a family. 

If someone is showing sudden changes in their behaviour, try to understand the cause of it instead of showing disapprobation. Today's youth is very aware which is why, if you direct them in the right way, they have the ability to adapt quickly. But the frustration behind suppressed dreams can be very distressing. We have read about this magnitude of social unrest only in history books. With the mere 20-25 years of experience that we have of life, we are not fully equipped to face this pandemic on our own. This is the time we need the help of the experienced, a.k.a., the elders. Life will not stop during the pandemic. The things that were expected of us before, are still there. All you need to do is, be a little bit more empathetic. If someone is struggling to carve their niche in this competitive world, instead of criticizing them for their shortcomings, try and show them the right way. If someone is emotionally vulnerable, the least we can do to help is acknowledge their emotions and accept them without prejudice. So what if we are young? The beauty of emotions is that they don't discriminate with age, gender, race or nationality. It's still not too late. We can stop the youth from getting lost. All we need is to understand each other a little bit better.