NODNOL
thoughts
thing(s) that I should create and do
and dare in this world and the stu-
dent living in me. I feel stupid – some-
times. Even worse, I get impatient.
My focus has shifted. I might look like
27 but my mind is much older than
that. My head challenges me constant-
ly and it keeps asking me things like:
Why are you still working for some-
one else or why is your salary still so
low? Is this your fault or is it a result
of the time you’re living in? Why are
you still single? Why don’t you have
your own flat? Why the hell are you
not going out with this rich CEO
anymore? Why haven’t you travelled
to other continents than Europe
yet? (Wait I’ll do that in January!)
It’s not only that the generation IB
(that’s how I call it now) is living in a
“flat white economy” with a student
life style. The money we earn is not
enough anymore to afford improving
our life styles that quickly. We keep sac-
rificing. We keep going, we keep being
patient, we keep learning and sharing.
So, do you know what happens right
now? One group is struggling with
this life style and improving that life
style seems harder than ever before.
I hope these people won’t give up to
quickly. Sometimes, it looks to me they
gave it up already. They’re negative.
Then the other group is very un-
aware, not able of critical thinking
and only caring about their own
life and belongings and curated im
age on facebook and instagram.
The last group is caring less and less
about what they own and how they
live. For them, success, happiness is
all about their skills and where they
live, what they learn and what they
explore and what they experience and
how they can bring all that together to
set up a social enterprise for instance.
It’s not about the car that you bought,
it’s about the coding class you finished
with success. It’s not about the title
you hold in your company, it’s about
ho w you help others to become bet-
ter. It’s not about a big house or a big
flat – it’s about in how many countries
you have already lived in and in how
many languages you can communi-
cate, how easily you can adapt. It’s
about the trip you did to the moun-
tains of an unknown country and not
about the artificial resort hotel with
all inclusive services. It’s about your
volunteering job than about the one
that pays your bills at the moment. It’s
about sharing the student life style and
it’s about the quality of your friends.
It’s about improvement and not igno-
rance. It’s about taking a tougher route
and get challenged than being bored.
It’s about creation and not consump-
tion.
of that. It’s not easy and we see that
the younger generation is so much
quicker than us in realising this. They
start their own social enterprises ear-
lier than us. They are equipped with
modern tools. They lose the sense
for materialistic status symbols. I feel
in-between this new life style and the
old values I was hunting for as a re-
sult of my up bringing and education.
But I must say, I’m not scared being
part of this generation. I admit it’s not
easy, I admit I feel weak sometimes.
But I’m also proud to say, I’m glad I
am part of this generation. I feel I
can move something. I feel I am still
so flexible and free in what I’m do-
ing. My decisions are taken more
consciously. I’m a thinker and I care
about our future. I have a strong
sense of justice and I will always have.
It’s not about how I look – It’s about
what I do – by Joanna Salley.
It’s not about what I own and earn
– It’s about what I know and under-
stand.
It’s not about what I complaint about
-It’s about what I actively try to
change.
They were right when claiming years
ago that there will be a shift in think-
ing and awareness. However, I think
that my generation is in between all
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