The Cursed, the Unwanted and the Lonely

Dear millennials, it’s a tough time right now, with most of us either unemployed and struggling to find a job, employed but struggling to find a balance between work and our personal lives or even struggling to maintain relationships amidst this global chaos known as the pandemic / epidemic depending on where you’re currently located. Does it ever strike you that we might be a cursed generation, feeding off of the waste of the past generations?

I know of some millennials working nearly 20 hours a day, 6 days a week with barely any time to rest because they haven’t got a choice. It is a truly depressing time to be a millennial since we have to work like dogs for a measly salary. When, pray tell, in between these crazy hours are we meant to prioritise our health and happiness? Heck, when do we get to squeeze in time for breakfast or lunch, or even just take a breather and go for a walk? My grandad was flabbergasted when he knew of my working hours at a previous company. He said, and I quote “We used to take breaks several times a day back in the day and be home by 5pm”. Oh, what a life! I wonder how messed up we would look as old people with our hunched backs and tired eyes.

For those who are looking for jobs high and low, this pandemic doesn’t make life any easier for them. Tons of young and ambitious graduates fill up their resumes and cover letters, doe-eyed and hopeful, only to get rejected by their dream companies. Even their second, third and fourth choice companies are rejecting these amazing individuals on the daily. When asked for the reason for rejection, most companies cite a lack of experience in fresh graduates. I wonder when in between studying is a graduate meant to get experience? Is your first job not meant for you to get that so-called “experience”? The irony of this situation is not lost on me. We are, after all, the cursed generation.

This brings us to the third millennial persona, the lonely. We may be surrounded by several living, breathing people but feel alone all the same. Nobody is ever really present anyways. With the ongoing pandemic, we are further than ever to some of the people who actually listen to us. Perhaps it has allowed us to look at things from a fresh perspective. If you weren’t really happy around the people you currently are around, maybe they were just temporary fillers to your mundane life all along. When this all blows over, who do you really want to see? Helps you rethink your priorities does it not?

Fret not, dear millennials, we can overcome these challenges and get through these tough times by finding solace in each other. This too, shall pass.