Why is our generation so unhappy?

We need the help of the hardest thing on earth to answer this. No, it’s not a diamond.

It was my first phone – the Nokia 225.

I was so excited. I had the power to talk to my friends anywhere. All I needed was patience – the keyboards were a little slower back then. This was the best gift I ever had. Until it wasn’t.

Greg Kinley’s parents had just bought him the iPhone. Suddenly, my 225 wasn’t that good. It worked perfectly. It was brand new. It made it easier than ever before to speak with my friends. I didn’t like it.

Greg’s phone had a touch screen. Greg’s phone could play games. Greg’s phone was easier to use. My phone was amazing, and yet I hated it because it wasn’t Greg’s phone.

In a world more connected than ever, we are the unhappiest we have ever been. With connection comes information. Information is good, but there is a type of information that’s making us miserable.

What others have.

Be careful where you look

With social media and the internet, we are bombarded with images of luxury. The facade of social media is deceiving – everything looks perfect, and everyone looks rich. Suddenly, our own lot in life isn’t enough. We want more.

It wasn’t always like this. In the past, the most we saw were the few wealthy families that lived in every town. But this was uncommon, and they were lucky. The typical person who lived within their means was what you saw. You appreciated what you had and looked at the wealthy with indifference.

Life isn’t like this anymore. We are connected, but the price we pay is seeing everything others have. When you go online, you don’t see the ordinary but the extraordinary. 

Why is our generation so unhappy today?

We’re spending too much time looking at everything everyone else has and not enough time appreciating what we have.