Not a Wasted Generation: Rethinking Blame and Reclaiming Promise

I’m not sure if we can consider someone who is 24 years and 2 months old as part of the youth category, but I know one thing for sure: we were all told, when we were just little kids, that we are the future stewards of our country. It doesn’t matter which country you belong to or how differently we might have lived, we are united by that responsibility, and it still lives in our hearts.

It’s funny now that I remember those words at the age of 23; one year left to be officially “unyouth”, not sure if that’s even a formal word, but I feel it fits well. So yes, this thinking takes me to many places, in a rollercoaster emotional swing… once I was that kid who was looking forward to being at the same level I am now and being the solution to the problems that have been troubling my family, my society, and the world in general. But am I, though? Are you, though? Are we, though?

Youthness is fire; it can burn or give light, depending on how we handle it and how we choose to see it. When youth are given the right opportunities to work and grow, we begin to witness just how far they can go.

But let’s talk about something important. I’m sure you’ve heard it too, that familiar, frustrated tone: “Ughhh… this generation’s youth.” Yes, it concerns me just as much as youth laziness, unemployment, and harmful behaviors concern elders and society at large. The fact that today’s youth are often labeled a “wasted generation” troubles me deeply. Youth are often blamed for rising crime, unemployment, and disengagement, with over 66 million young people jobless and youth violence accounting for 40% of global homicides. It is a fact, because the numbers speak for themselves. But this “wasted generation” narrative ignores the deeper truth: broken systems, underfunded education, and generational neglect have failed to equip youth with the tools they need. The blame is not theirs, ours alone,  it’s a mirror reflecting society’s refusal to invest, mentor, and believe in its own future.

Personally, for me, the rollercoaster starts here: I sometimes put myself in other people’s eyes and end up blaming the generation, the youth, including myself. We have everything at hand: advanced technology, digital space, globalization, information, and countless resources to learn, grow, work, and be productive. Yet we often choose to use them for wasteful things like endless scrolling on social media (not including those who use it productively), unlimited screen time…

And then comes the “but.”

“But the youth haven’t received enough attention. They haven’t been given the right support to think, to be creative, to challenge the system. Instead, they’re expected to figure everything out on their own, relying solely on personal support.”

How can we blame someone for not having a job when they’ve done everything required, studied hard, earned the degree, gained the skills, and still, there’s no job? Not everything can be started from scratch. How can they stay motivated when there’s no peace in their region? It might not be right to justify someone’s mistake by pointing to systemic failures… but that truth is still undeniable. 

These two reality checks lead me to my final deduction:

Let’s leave the youth alone and hold them tightly.

Ironic, huh? Let me make sense. Leave the youth alone in the sense that not every responsibility to save the world should rest on their shoulders, on our shoulders. But hold them tightly, because their fire, their energy, their vision can help save the world, alongside you, alongside every global citizen.

And we, the youth… let’s make the world more enjoyable and peaceful to live in. Of course, we must be people of our world, because once, with innocent and kind hearts, we promised to make our world better.

So, let’s rise to that promise.

And if we mess up a little along the way… well, at least let’s do it with good Wi-Fi and snacks.