PEOPLE ARE LOSING FAITH IN THEMSELVES AND THIS IS WHY

Crisis of Purpose

By Christian D'aoust, for Walling's grade 12 blogger page

iFlick image of being alone, 2020

The West has been built off of the ideology of self; independence, maturity, our life's over-arching purpose. As time passed, cities grew, thousands rose from the dirt then fell, their messages not long forgotten, but cherished. That is what legacy is and more often than not, legacy comes from one's popularity. In modern times, the everyday celebrity threatens confidence, tradition, and reality.

Questioning the process of becoming famous only digs your mind a bigger hole to sit in. Places like Youtube, Twitch, and social media give us real-time, everyday examples of what it looks like to be happy, to be cherished by strangers, to be popular. It is a cliche to tell someone aspiring to follow their dreams, the same someone would know better. Hopefully. Goals are being played with by the media we hold so dearly, from academic to film star, labourer to streamer icon. This kind of spontaneous lifestyle hurts people. 

To understand what the damage is, we can take a look at the history of purpose. It is commonly believed that from childhood through teenage years, people are still seeking their purpose in life. The goals that we can chase after are all shown to us, unattainable in a young state. The ever-growing media breaks this trend: before one could anticipate 10 or more years in post-secondary to make an above average salary, now someone could make millions off a few videos within a 1-year time frame.  It’s a gamble of ego and luck. The algorithm on numerous platforms is worshiped, will it recommend my post to tens of thousands?

Being responsible of oneself has never been more important. To keep mental and emotional health in good shape, get to know yourself as best as you can. Know what you want to chase and create small steps towards it. Not everyone can be a super-celebrity, but everyone can certainly try and if that's for you, take a gamble. Don't lose faith in yourself, don't lose sight of what's real, the world is waiting for you.

Source:

https://www.templeton.org/discoveries/the-psychology-of-purpose#:~:text=In%20psychological%20terms%2C%20a%20consensus,the%20world%20beyond%20the%20self.