We have to make our own happiness

I had an English teacher in high school tell my class that there was a statistic that said my generation would never truly be happy or experience true happiness. While she didn’t agree with it, it has always been something that has stuck in my mind. 

Am I and everyone my age destined for unhappiness?

With the ever-growing list of national issues looming over our heads on top of trying to excel in our chosen career paths while still having somewhat of a social life, the statistic seems pretty realistic. There’s no way we come out on top and stay intact. 

And, while I have no evidence to back up the statistic my English teacher gave me, I do have facts that prove its point.

A study done by the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institution showed that Gen Z has far higher rates of pessimism than any dating back to 1960. The reason for that pessimism? 

The constant exposure to bad news has hardened us to a point where we just expect the worst outcome to happen. 

We’ve lived through some of the worst times in American history. 

A great recession that made lives incredibly hard for many of our parents and family members; rising rates of gun violence in schools that made us fear for our lives; some of the worst political and national discourse our country has seen since the Civil War; crippling national debt and a climate crisis to match and most recently a pandemic that has taken the lives of millions of Americans and changed our sense of normalcy forever. 

And those are just the things we’ve already seen. 

In our lifetimes we will be the ones put in charge of facing issues like climate change, social security, job security and crippling amounts of debt. Not to mention we’re going to have to find time to start families that aren’t built in crippling debt. 

All of that seems daunting and sounds like it’s just the facts of life. But I want to believe that it’s not set in stone just yet. 

My dad told me recently that happiness is what you make of it. Sure, there are struggles you have to overcome but they shouldn’t stand in the way of your happiness. 

The national issues that are going to plague us, are always going to be there in one form or another. 

If it isn’t climate change, it’s going to be something else. So, it’s best not to let them cloud your mind for extended periods of time.

What really matters is that you do something that you’re passionate about and be with people who bring around good moments. I know that sounds like stating the obvious a little but it’s true. 

What was that thing that Olaf said in “Frozen 2”? “We’re calling this, ‘controlling what you can when everything seems out of control.’”

That’s the way Gen Z needs to approach life.

Let’s face the hard times head on, seeing as we are also the ones most equipped to deal with them, while still finding time to enjoy the good aspects of life. 

Let’s see the world, fall in love, go on adventures… you know, all the cheesy stuff our grandparents rave about. If we take just a few moments to stop thinking about the grand scheme of things, maybe we can prove that statistic wrong.