How does our perception of the future impact our behaviour in the present? Watch Insight's episode End of Days? on SBS On Demand.
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End Of Days?
episode • Insight • Current Affairs • 52m
episode • Insight • Current Affairs • 52m
Talking about the issues young people face makes me feel like I am participating in the oppression Olympics.
The competitors are the baby boomers, millennials and my generation — gen Z. The gold medal goes to whoever can prove they had it hardest.
Gen Z, of course, never wins; they are probably too lazy to even try, right?
I recently had a conversation with a baby boomer from northern Sydney, who was complaining about the vast number of things she had acquired while living in her house, which she had bought over 20 years ago.
Her take on the cost of living crisis was that it was good that I wouldn’t have the issue of hoarding things like her, as I would never be able to afford them in the first place.
While I appreciate her tone of optimism, it would be difficult to say that I found much hope in what she said.
Varsha Yajman works multiple part time jobs but finds her bank balance is dwindling during the cost-of-living crisis.
Surviving your 20s
Like many of my peers, I'm studying full-time and work multiple part-time jobs.
However, the cost of living crisis means my savings don't grow, rather the numbers in my bank balance go down.
They say your 20s are the best time to live out your life — so why does it feel like most of us are just trying to survive?
I feel anxiety when I go to the grocery store and stress over buying apples because they've gone up another 50c per kilo (despite being in season).
Sometimes I avoid the fresh vegetable aisle altogether because frozen vegetables are usually cheaper.
I worry about the sore throat I feel coming on, as I realise I may need to see a doctor and shell out $60 or more to potentially be told to "come back if it gets worse".
Nowadays, fewer than one in four Australian GP clinics provide bulk billing to all patients, and more than 500 clinics switched to private billing in 2023, according to a report by Cleanbill.
Among all this, it feels impossible to plan for the future.
Many young people question whether they can afford to have children, or even if they should, given the increasing severity and frequency of climate change disasters across the world.
Choosing to doomscroll
It sometimes feels easier to disengage with the real world, and dive into social media.
However, while in the moment there's a sense of ease and distraction, as a young brown woman who has struggled with an eating disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and the effects of mental illness, I know the aftereffects of the 'doomscrolling' create long-term problems.
There's so much harmful body image content online and so little regulation.
When I have presented to health services for these disorders, I have not been believed; I have been made to feel guilty, ashamed and lazy.
A GP refused to diagnose me with an eating disorder for three years, instead telling me I needed to be stronger. He said a diagnosis would affect my employability.
Another GP told me my problems were much smaller compared to others, yet she increased the dosage of my anxiety medication — which, yes, I still need to pay for.
But switching off from social media doesn't feel like a viable option either. It feels like a choice between doomscrolling and switching off from the world.
It becomes a struggle between navigating these spaces safely and experiencing an oversaturation of bad news and harmful content.
It gives me comfort when I remind myself that it's okay to have difficulty in finding the balance between self-care and engaging with real-world issues — there is no perfect balance.
Plans for the future
Gen Z often feels like the older generations think that we would be fine only if we saved as much as possible.
I sometimes think, even if I could save 'enough', what's the point?
I might just be renting forever, or if I did want to buy a place, it would be nowhere close to the city, my friends, or my community.
Varsha Yajman takes part in climate activism but fears people have more urgent needs than solving the climate crisis.
Whether it's the housing crisis, climate crisis or cost of living crisis, it feels like the system is broken and working against young people.
Right now, my plan is to build more real-life connections and make an impact in the world through my studies and advocacy work.
I think having a good community around you is so helpful. In the face of all these problems and simultaneous crises, it's good to feel less alone.
And for more stories head to , hosted by Kumi Taguchi. From sex and relationships to health, wealth, and grief Insightful offers deeper dives into the lives and first-person stories of former guests from the acclaimed TV show, Insight.
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