By Adam Borowski
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There are no tanks on the streets, after all, so why does the younger generation keep complaining, then? Clearly, young people have it too easy; they need to live through a crisis to learn humility. This kind of condescending mindset only widens the generational gap. We forget that a teenager's internal frame of reference is dramatically different from that of someone born in the 1950s. South Korean history ― particularly the Gwangju Uprising ― is similar to Polish history, and I'm sure there are older Koreans who complain about the younger generation all the time. The pandemic is an unparalleled global emergency. As such, there's no comparison between the presence of martial law in one country with the lung-destroying virus which has nearly collapsed multiple health systems.
Case in point, imagine you're a teenager in 2021. You are thrust into the world governed by absurd rules, with the pandemic pandemonium unfolding all around you. While exam sessions are stressful, not knowing when they are going to take place is even worse. Your parents demand perfection but you don't even know what their idea of perfection is. You can't find even a moment of peace. You feel like the world has turned into a Kafkaesque K-drama. The smarter you are, the more depressing it gets. A Polish psychologist, Kazimierz Dabrowski, identified five areas ― called "overexcitabilities'' in which the gifted exhibit intense behaviors: psychomotor, sensual, emotional, intellectual and imaginational. The gifted are prone to emotional disorders. The younger generation needs adult authority figures more than ever.
But it's not all doom and gloom. Millions of young people across the world listen to K-pop and play video games to ward off depression and suicidal thoughts. Sometimes, the only person who understands the inner struggle is a fellow gamer on the other side of the world, or a K-pop idol whose powerful message gives hope. One word has never been more fitting to describe the state of the world in 2021 ―"bedlam.'' The scene of uproar and confusion. Bedlam was originally a name for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, a medieval asylum for the mentally ill in London. It was easier to say bedlam than Bethlehem. Personally, I'm glad that ''bedlam'' entered the English language. I like words and phrases with intriguing origins. Let's hope the global bedlam we're going through now is going to make us stronger and more united than ever before, forging a path to a better world for future generations.
Adam Borowski (adam.borowski1985@gmail.com) is a technical Polish-English translator and an international relations enthusiast.
