I have much to say about this topic, but work consumes my time, and society doesn't value leisure (freedom) activities. I'll try to elaborate in an essay in the next few weeks.

Gen Z does not believe in the same national myths as older people, which is rare. Societies maintain cultural beliefs by sharing them with the next generation, but global events ruptured this tradition.

Young people witnessed 9/11, the financial crisis, countless wars, austerity, a pandemic, political turmoil, a rapid increase in homelessness, climate change impacts, and our reactions to these events at a crucial development phase.

They are the most digitally savvy cohort and disregard mainstream narratives and media. Perhaps they absorbed the media's images instead of the explanation, which numbed our empathy for others. They ask questions and demand more than a one-sided perspective.

When we were their age, we believed in the capitalist dream and happily ever after, but they don't have a vision of the future. The US has been at war most of their lives, and they saw adults working to build a dream that economic policies destroyed.

There is nothing wrong with their work ethic, and why should we dedicate our lives to productivity? Our values are misguided, not theirs, and we created an unlivable, miserable world.