I've discovered a glimmer of hope. I've chosen to adopt a positive outlook on Generation Z and our role in the world, particularly young people, all due to a shift in energy I've sensed over the past few weeks. There's a growing reluctance to remain passive, making it easier to align with the forces of progress. After months of writing this column, what has resonated most is the reminder that you are indeed witnessing what you see and experiencing what you live through. A heightened awareness of your own reality and the lived experiences of others is no longer exclusive to third culture kids but is now common among anyone with a screen and an internet connection.
However, we've been stripped of the tools for change, as a few powerful interests control most of the wealth and influence. Acknowledging this reality is challenging, even in 2024 when more people than ever are aware of it. Yet, there remains a segment that is oblivious to how global powers vie for control over vast areas of the developing world and the industries and resources crucial for tackling climate change, artificial intelligence, and the increasing need for base power to store the exponentially growing data. All this while we are forced to witness a genocide unfolding in Palestine.
So, where do I find optimism amidst all this? It lies in the fact that I can now openly state the obvious, what was once unsaid, and that more people are becoming aware every day. Many previously hidden or obscure facts about the world can no longer be ignored. Knowledge and awareness, like an albatross around the necks of future generations, are now unavoidable. I feel no such burden because I would know, and I would speak out.
We must draw strength from this freedom and hope from the knowledge that tough times always end. Forces emerge to challenge the status quo, and as the center weakens, the wings grow stronger. As a journalist at the beginning of a career bound to be intriguing, with public trust in journalism at its lowest in centuries, I must believe that Gen-Z can ride the wave of change I know is coming, because hoping for it is all we can do.
What I'm doing, and what many of us are doing—what everyone should be doing—is using the tools at our disposal to keep the conversation going. Keeping facts in the public consciousness, allowing myself to feel all the awful emotions, and finding solace in the good in my life. I'm cooking family recipes and sharing them with friends, spending time with loved ones without spending money, and even inviting people over to my home regularly. My elder millennial friend called it 'visiting.' Then he joked about my cat being fat.
What I'm trying to convey is to make them regret giving us so much connection. Use the full power of the internet and AI while we have it, and don't fret about single-use plastics when celebrities and their jets emit more in a day than you ever could in a lifetime. If you have a story to tell but don't know how, get online or find a journalist—preferably at Khaleej Times—to tell it, and just be one of the good ones.
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