Disillusioned

The following was written by a student: Teenagers today are confused and disillusioned. Virtually every relationship leaves them stabbed in the back. They wonder, “Who can I trust?” The big difference between this generation and the rebellious generations before is that the previous rebellion was for a cause. This generation has no cause. We have given up. We have no vision.

In one sense, the generation currently coming into adulthood does not have a crusading cause, a unifying point. But in another sense, teenagers today have a very real cause: survival.

In a dangerous, fragmented society where there is no truth and right and wrong are interchangeable, teenagers feel tossed about like driftwood. And so we see their actions. They are saturated with information but told there are no real truths. They are told they are the result of a cosmic accident, but to think positively and feel good about themselves. Their actions are the result of the contradictions swirling in their minds. Unable to come to any conclusions about their lives, they resort to things they can understand—to sensory pleasures.