Why Do Millennials Want To Die?

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Since 2016, The Internet has been witnessing a growing trend with jokes regarding death and suicide. Social media platforms are filled with ‘kill me’ memes which are ardently loved and shared by thousands of people or well, millennials. In fact, my own friends and a lot of other people whom I know have expressed their support towards the idea of death.

It’s difficult to decipher as to why the present generation is so obsessed with death. I have always considered death to be a tragic event and despite all these influences around me, I have refused to give in to the idea of death because it doesn’t get through me. So, why does everyone want to die so bad?

When I asked people about their views on this topic, most of them favored death. After hearing them out, what I noticed was that all of them, in the end, gave the same answer: Life Is Meaningless. They believe that all the hard work, emotional investments, setbacks and even success, aren’t worth it in the end. Since nothing is guaranteed, life is a nightmare and we all need to escape it as quickly as possible. Another common argument I received was that none of them had asked to be born and witness life, and since now they are alive, they have to slog through life and follow the ‘system’ i.e. get an education, a job, a happy (maybe) marriage, etc. A lot of them believe that they are being forced to do all this work when they actually despise it from the bottom of their hearts and that animals have it easy as they are free from all responsibilities and obligations. According to them, human life is the worst form of torture; it is monotonous and is more or less a cage.

However, it is important to note that almost none of these people suffer from any mental illness or have suicidal tendencies. This is a just a thought process they all share. After hearing out these arguments, what I could comprehend was that we are slowly turning into a generation of nihilists. Or is it just sheer exasperation and laziness that is taking over our minds?

If we draw a comparison between this generation and the previous one, there is a quantum difference. The previous generation didn’t think too much. For instance, our parents grew up in a significantly different environment. They did not have high-end technology and lacked a lot of comfort. Nevertheless, they continued with the work; people completed their education, found jobs or created something new, and found a partner they wanted to marry. Along the way, this generation grew up to be well-settled and happy. Or maybe it just willingly gave into the ‘system’. Whatever the case might be, this generation didn’t long for quitting life altogether. Coming back to the present generation, it is luckier. Without no doubt, millennials have been exposed to technology throughout their childhood and adolescence. Every product or service is available to them with the click of a button and life is comparatively easier for them. A lot of researchers say that this constant touch with technology has made this generation excessively lazy. Not only this, but millennials believe that every extraordinary idea has already been executed by people like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk and since there are no ‘world-changing’ ideas or business opportunities anymore, most of them have to inevitably pursue careers which they might not even like. Thus, there is a lack of passion and proper motivation.

Homo sapiens is considered to be the most advanced species on Earth because it has access to unlimited knowledge and growth and is capable of rapid change. The future of the world and of this species solely lies in the hands of this species. Considering this fact, we can’t afford to raise a generation of people who are desperate for death. Exasperation, laziness, escapism, or even nihilism won’t take the world forward. If gone unnoticed, this mere thought process might become a global threat; a threat to progress.

However, we still can’t choose to eliminate the possibility that maybe with time, human beings have created a flawed system and only and particularly, this generation is able to see through it and wants a change which it believes is impossible and so, it wants to escape. And the only plausible way to escape is death.

Currently, we may not have a definite solution to this topic, but we do have a disheartening question to address:

Where do we go from here?