Today’s Youth – The Challenges

Since the turn of the millennium, the world has changed in many ways. Technology – especially the prominent rise and spread of digital media – has aided this process in many ways. With data being more easily available than ever before in history, people are prone to an information overload. What is a boon can just as easily turn into a curse, and the advances that the world has seen in the last decade have brought about with it its own set of hurdles and troublesome problems. The youth of today face many challenges, some of it brought about by an overload of information, seeming insignificant in front of the vastness of the world before them, while others have turned philosophical earlier and are faced by existentialist crisis’s, with many turning to nihilism or becoming hedonistic to avoid the gaping void that all face at the end of their lifespan.

Here we take a look at some of the major challenges that the youth are facing today:

An Identity Crisis

An Identity Crisis is defined as, ‘a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society’. Due to the way society itself is changing and evolving with time, the roles of its denizens also keep continuously changing. What you liked once may not be what you like to do anymore. Even passions keep changing, the fire wavering and shifting from one to another. Earlier, the rate of change was much slower and individuals had longer time to cope with it.

However in today’s age change is almost constantly consistent, and so children are continuously having to revise their opinions and viewpoints about life, their role in society, their aims, aspirations and goals. With tremendous influx of information, it is difficult to settle on one single choice and keep at it diligently. The mind has a tendency to waver, and it likes to try out different things. Thus, identity and existentialist crisis’s are becoming quite common these days, with people either unsatisfied with their stock in life, or suddenly finding out a revelation that they want to do something more, something different.

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Low Self-Esteem

A lot of the youngsters these days have self-esteem issues. To combat this, they try to fit in with the crowd, they go along with whatever their friends say, giving in to peer pressure instead of standing firm for their own opinions. There are a lot of miscreants who delight in the misery and discomfort of others. You must make sure you do not give in to them, stand firm on your convictions, and be proud of yourself as an individual. There are a lot of people willing to take advantage of your low self-esteem and twist it for their own benefits. Make sure to surround yourself with positivity and those who believe in you so that you do not fall prey to low self-esteem issues.

No Clarity on Future paths & Goals

Not a lot of youngsters have a fixed future path in mind, but most do have a general idea in mind about what they want to pursue, or the direction they want their life to take. A directionless ship with a blind captain is prone to being blindsided by an iceberg. Make sure that doesn’t happen to your life, have certain goals in life and follow them through. This will not only give you something to aim for in life, but it will also give you a strong reason to wake up every morning and pursue that goal relentlessly. A lot of people try to wing it – and though some succeed at it – there are many more who crash and burn and end up sabotaging their own lives while at it.

Various Distractions

The many detractions and distractions caused by drugs, excessive alcohol, and the like which are becoming common today are again a problem faced by the youth in growing numbers nowadays. Remember to stay within certain limits and do not tax your body beyond it. Excess of anything has a tendency to be extremely harmful, both on a physical and psychological level. Adhere to high standards and do not fall prey to substance abuse, among other problems.