Purpose
I toggle between the two phases of "life is going great :)" and "what is my purpose in life" with a hard stare at my wall and at myself. Currently in the 2nd phase right now :/
Generally, I think that individuals in my generation have lost purpose in their lives and are a little angry at society. At the very least, students from the "over-represented minority" that I am part of (or Asians) tend to be mad that the college powerball lottery is rigged against them. Globally however, we (as teenagers) have sorta lived through crisis after crisis; there's been wars, annexations, military confrontations, a pandemic, and the polarization of society; just when we think that "It's Joever," the world somehow pulls itself together and keeps on moving forward.
And there are saints and NPCs: individuals that do what we would consider to be "God's work," for example, good teachers and professors who despite the meek prospects and bad pay and compensation (at least in high school) still do their best everyday to make sure their students are learning deeply and that their needs are being met.
On the other hand, there are people who we feel disillusioned with; people like Trump and Biden, Fox News and CNN, the polarizing parts of society that pull people into a void that they rarely leave. Thankfully, I've avoided both sides of the aisle (of course there is considerable geographical bias where I live), yet it is still very very concerning to see the state of the United States and thus the rest of the world deteriorate.
100 years ago, there was the sort of "lost" generation. This was the generation that returned following WW1, suffering only a few causalities for almost nothing (thank Wilson and his 14 points and the League of Nations), and coming back to a disillusioned United States of America that did not provide everyone, least of all those that actively defend and die for their country, benefits that reduced inequality and made the standard of living livable.
Today, we are experiencing something perhaps like it. In America, many are now questioning the need for school (whether that be out of spite or genuine curiosity) as more and more companies value industry skills rather than college degrees. Furthermore, with the AI takeover happening, the futures of my generation hang in the ropes and yet everyone still acts as if everything is in some way, "normal". Furthermore, economics is at an all time disastrously bad condition (or so the news states), with many people claiming that a bubble is around the corner with housing prices soaring as well as prices for basic commodities like eggs, gas, and bread.
Eventually, in 15-20 years, we'll see how this generation turns out. Sure, Generation Alpha or the one right after us has reading issues and bla bla bla, but I think Gen Z is going through some sort of crisis itself. Hopefully the world doesn't deteriorate to an unlivable condition soon.