I was born in 1997, the first years of my life in Romania were
quiet and peaceful. The country, which just came out from under communism 8
years before, was like a time capsule, in many ways still stuck in the past, in
both good and bad ways. The internet was still a legend when I was a child,
something to be used in very specific instances and with big waiting time.
There were no smartphones or gadgets to play with, and as children, the fun
would be derived from whatever our mind would come with and usually involved
exploring outside. 21 years later, today the world has become, especially in places
like Europe a very different world. Besides all the technological advancements,
there have been conflicts, wars, and economic crisis just to name a few. So
far, nothing new compared to what humanity has been doing since the dawn of its
existence.
What is new,
however, is all this background noise. And there’s a lot of it. And you know
what I am talking about. It’s all the beeps and sound notifications, it’s all
the flashy screens, targeted advertising, news outlets and many more. All this
information overload is not something our brains our accustomed to, and how it
has taken a toll on our cognitive capabilities is quite obvious, if one looks
at aspects such as the rise of attention deficit disorder. I think out of most
inventions, the smartphone is the most defining and the one that bothers me the
most. Besides the fact that you are carrying a portable recording device that
collects data on everything about you, what you like or don’t like, what places
you visit in order to sell you ads (for now), it also quite clearly affects
everyone’s ability to interact face to face. And this is of course, the great
irony of social media, the fact that it makes people interact less and feel lonelier,
as we slowly drift apart in internet personas. Back in the old days, one couldn’t
just escape social interaction by sitting on their phone. But here we are now,
avoiding what is uncomfortable by evading in a screen that is personalized to
be your best friend. A bit dystopian, isn’t it?
I’m a Millennial,
which means I’ll have a great time not really having financial security, a
house and chances of raising a family. When my grandfather was my age, he
already was married to my grandmother and had my mum. Back in the day,
communists came and seized all the land. My grandparents and mother, which were
born in a small village in central Romania, had to leave everything they had in
order to find better living in the city. They did so with only the clothes they
were wearing at the moment, with no education or money. My grandfather’s
efforts payed off, as I managed to go, 70 years later, to the Netherlands to
study. Every generation has their struggle and what my grandparents went through
is much harder in different ways than what my generation is going through.
Blessed but stressed is an expression that I feel describes well my current
predicament. And in a way, my grandparents were freer. Yes, they couldn’t leave
the country. Propaganda was high, and living standards modest. But they had
each other, they had genuine connection, and they didn’t have to worry about
what was outside their sphere. Today, we have a much better access to
education, better healthcare. I have floor heating in my room, which for my
grandparents it is something out of a sci-fi movie.
Yet our generation
was thrown in a very weird point of history. The effects of climate change are
becoming more and more clear. The economic system forces us to be very
competitive and that makes people take themselves way too seriously and neglect
their health in order to get extra hours of work done. And then there’s Trump,
the biggest internet star, as social media turned Politics from something
serious into a bad soap opera we have no choice but to watch. It’s quite clear
that politicians do not know what they are doing in order to stop climate
change, and there’s a general consensus that there’s a lack of consensus on
almost everything. While older generations accuse us of being entitled,
complaining and all in all bad people, they can sit down comfortably on their
sofa as they are approaching old age. They will be gone soon, and the mess they
have made is what we will inherit and have to deal with. It’s quite easy then,
to see why our generation is scared, prone to anxiety and panic attacks, which
are made even worse by being amplified by all the noise on social media.
What is there to
be done to still be okay with life is something I am still trying to figure
out. What has helped so far have been reflections of an existentialist manner.
After all, I have been thrown into this context without consent. The cards I
have been dealt with it have been good, just being able to write this article
and think about these things is a privilege not many people have. A great
source of inspiration has been my grandfather, which managed against very hard
odds to work, get educated, and provide for his family. I try to focus on what
really matters to me, connecting with people, creating with them, being joyful
and playful. What the future will hold for me, or for any of you, is anyone’s
guess. And in a way, it does not matter that much, as we are here right now.
And the now is the only moment there really is, so feel free to remove yourself
from the front of the screen, go outside, paint, sing, do a silly video, or
whatever floats your boat. Being able to
detach from the noise is important. Don’t worry about missing out, you already
know what you will find if you go back to the noise, it’s the same old story every
time. Be more worried about missing out on your own life, as the streams of
information passing next to you distracts you from what your really want to
achieve, do and feel.
Until next time,
-Vlad
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