Ever wondered why we were all put in generational categories? So that when we talk about the generation that messed up, we can say, “Gen Z has failed our world.” Ha! A Gen Z saying that his own generation is a failure? Yep, you heard that right.

 Have you ever seen a teenager these days reading a newspaper? No. Doing little dances in front of their phones because they have nothing better to do? Yes. This generation has a serious problem. It’s simple: ignorance. What happened to going for walks? Not holding your phone 24/7? Looking at people in their eyes when they talk to you instead of that stupid phone? “Ignorance is strength”, as the great George Orwell stated in his famous 1948 novel. Not this type of ignorance. Not knowing what terrible things are going on in the world could let you live a little bit happier. Not being able to name three countries in Europe but rather all the Kardashians, that’s the exact opposite of strength. Ignorance is ignorance.

Clearly, we need a solution to this problem, because believe me if nothing is done, tomorrow’s doctors are going to be people that used Chat GPT to write their essays and tests in med school. Same goes for engineers, teachers, electricians, etc. We can’t possibly let these naive souls take up the essential jobs that enable our world to work the way it works. Mind you, I’m not saying that I’m extremely different from everyone in my generation, I’m not. I too spend too much time on Instagram, on YouTube, looking at those inane 15 second videos called “reels.”

You know what a possible solution is? Personal responsibility. “Oh, but the older generations put us in this situation, global warming, wars, pandemics.” Sure, they might have screwed up, but we need to stop acting like victims, and start acting like mature human beings. Fix the problem now, assign the blame later.  As my brother always says, "Blame whoever you want, but there’s always someone you need to blame for something that happens to you: yourself.” Take personal responsibility for your actions because blaming it on others will work, until it won’t.

Most likely, this essay won’t go anywhere, nor will my thoughts, and I know that. But who cares, right? Go take a Tik Tok video, go do your Be Real, go do all these meaningless activities to get away from reality. Granted, our generation has gone through some stuff. Are we the only ones? Running away from it, escaping reality through that brick that you carry in your pocket is not the answer. Live, have a meal with your family, go for a walk occasionally, enjoy a sunset; or don’t.