The eyelids slowly fall upon each other as information floods in the form of flickering images. A glance at the clock brings the realization that three hours have already passed since the last time you looked up.
Suddenly, there is this cold, profound fear, and the question hangs in the air: What am I actually doing with my life?
But finding an answer to this question often proves difficult for us. Sometimes we even accept our situation and justify it by saying that we are simply part of the "Generation Z." This generation is defined by the system as lazy, ignorant, disrespectful, and unenthusiastic about anything. Based on these characteristics, one of the many false identities for the youth is constructed.
For example, the so-called "Generation Z" oscillates between a numbing indifference and an almost dramatic melancholy. Both extremes come with a multitude of characteristics that are presented to us on social media or in movies under the motto of being relatable. Rêber APO describes the special warfare through information as follows:
"The information that the youth receives serves rather to lull and numb them, making their dependency permanent. When knowledge is conveyed, the means to implement it are withheld. A constant tactic of domination is to prolong and delay. The strategies, tactics, and systems of pressure and ideology directed against women are equally applicable to the youth." (From the book "Beyond State, Power and Violence")
The capitalist mentality solidifies in our minds, creating a youth that defines freedom only as personal, material freedom and increasingly loses hope for change and revolution.
In a world where we are constantly influenced by the liberal lifestyle 24/7, we find ourselves in an ongoing existential crisis. To a certain degree, questioning the meaning of our own existence is normal and part of a search. However, many young people fall into an existential abyss during this search for why, as they become aware of the meaninglessness of this capitalist system. One of the "solutions" imposed by the state to escape this crisis is the escape into nihilism.
"Life has no meaning, and we're all going to die anyway."
This motto is a recurring theme in popular films, books, and series like Rick & Morty or Skins. Here, the search for an alternative life outside the system is redirected, and young people are instead confronted with deep emptiness. It's no wonder that under this influence, the youth is increasingly suffering from depression and suicide. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among young people worldwide.
The unnatural and cancerous nature of this system becomes evident in the masses of people who take their own lives each year.
Another redirection of the search for meaning and freedom is driven by the state, for example, through the recruitment of young people into the military. In Germany, we have seen a significant increase in minors joining the army – Bundeswehr –in recent years.
The image of youth being sent to war for the power and capital interests of a few has persisted throughout the entire history of the state and civilization.
Each of these "answers" given by the state system to contradictions within the state order ultimately serve the goal of paralyzing and keeping young people passive through imposed identities. However, history shows us the role that youth has actually played in resisting oppression and exploitation.
Who has resisted becoming workers, slaves, and soldiers more than the youth?
It has always been the youth who were targeted to become workers, slaves, and soldiers. Due to this specific social pressure, we find the strongest expression of freedom in the youth who have not yet given up hope for a different world. Despite their active role in political and social movements, youth in history have often not been defined by their own identity.
Today, we also see that a lack of identity is one of the fundamental problems among young people.
Tremendous efforts are made to keep us away from historical consciousness and social awareness.
Therefore, our success will be demonstrated by how much meaning and significance we attribute to life and how much emotion and passion we bring to the revolution.
We will confront their false ideas of a half-hearted and pessimistic youth with determination and hope.
And to conclude with the words of Comrade Che Guevara:
"Above all, always be capable of feeling deeply any injustice committed against anyone, anywhere in the world. This is the most beautiful quality of a revolutionary."
- Rozerin Harûn
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