thoughts

There are almost 7 billion people on Earth. About 50 million in south africa. About 14 million between 20 and 34 years old. 14 million minds, hearts and possibilities. 

What makes a generation? Thirty years. Wars. Fashion. Music. Anti-establishment movements. Yes. All of these. However it depends on the individual to get involved. I fear for our "generation", in the sense that we've adopted the "someone else will do it" mentality. It is extremes, personal or political or both, that teach us the meaning of life. Without them, the excesses of the young provide a little of the excitement otherwise lacking. The outcome is a growing shallowness. An adolescent culture is one that lives on the surface, unencumbered by memory, light on knowledge and devoid of wisdom.

"Suburbia" and all it stands for, albeit standing on ant hills, is what is halting our opportunity to make history. 

Go back 50 years:

And now: We are so comfortable living day to day in a selfish shallow manner. That puts success down to what car you drive, what clothes you wear, what you did on the weekend? What music do you listen to? Are you"cultured"? Did you hook up? Did you get wasted? 

Instead we should ask:

What movement were you part of?  Or did you get drunk while you were protesting against a war? Perhaps the only war you know is the one with yourself.  There is little hope in a culture that bases their successes or failures on how many likes or comments they get on a social networking medium. If someone thirty years from now could see your life, would they "like" it? Would it be reminiscent of times of purpose. A new technological dynamic, manifest in the internet, mobiles and the like, which has left older generations feeling a little left out, and lent credence to a misplaced technological determinism among the young.

It sickens me to acknowledge that this "suburbia" is a trap. A catch 22. What lead to the youth of today being so eager to shock purely for shocking sake and not any kind of substance? Why are so many people outraged by a political situation, so outraged they share it on Facebook? Was its precursor the 60's, the very thing that lead to revolutions, peace, love and The Beatles? Did the pop culture of the 60's get so warped into this generation of today that has forgotten where it came from?
It's a catch 22 because vintage photos are deceiving. They appear idealistic almost ethereal in nature. However, the very same photo's you share online are our generations photos of a time, just 40 years away from now. There is nothing stopping you from taking a photo with meaning behind it. I don't remember seeing any pouting pictures in my parents albums. So the 60's brought media to the forefront. In a good way. However in time media has created facades. These facades have created fallacies in society. These societies have become our generation. And you're caught. In a shallow pit of denial, Jersey shore media and this ever present, don't quite know what to do with it, feeling in your bones and heart - there is way more than what I'm doing. 14 million South Africans are capable of much more. Surely Facebook cannot replace home made placards, mass crowds and the truth with a simple click of a button and "you've done your part for society" It's a tad lazy. It's not even a petition. We can say it shares awareness, sure. But if you're not willing to DO anything after you've become "aware"... it's all just a a fallacy. 

welcome to the... what do we even call our time?! the millennium 10's? sounds far too corporate.. but that's a whole other thought.