No doubt the title may sound a little dramatic! Every generation faces its own challenges, but when you reflect on the last few years, it is hard not to feel that this decade has been particularly difficult.
I cannot remember a time when so many global issues seemed to unfold at once. We have had Covid and the lockdowns, followed by divisions over lockdown rules, restrictions and vaccinations. Wars continue with no clear end in sight, with Ukraine now entering its fourth year of conflict, often driven or influenced by the world’s superpowers.
Add to that tensions in the Middle East and the Iran War, the ongoing cost of living crisis, rising energy prices, and debates around illegal immigration and the pressures it creates, and it can feel as though society is constantly on edge. Turn on the news any day and it rarely feels positive, with reports of a meningitis outbreak.
Of course, perspective matters. Previous generations endured far worse, particularly those who lived through the First and Second World Wars. However, when reflecting on the years many of us have personally experienced, I cannot recall a period that has felt quite this relentless problem wise. We now face news about fuel and possibly even food shortages.
It is little wonder that mental health struggles have become more common. For younger generations especially, this is the backdrop they have grown up with, many having no memory of a calmer or more stable time.
The modern media environment likely amplifies this feeling. With social media and 24-hour news, there is little escape from the constant flow of information. Add misinformation and competing narratives into the mix, and it becomes increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction.
Even if history ultimately judges this decade more kindly than we might now, living through it can feel exhausting. Rather than one defining event, we are experiencing a pile-up of issues: a pandemic, wars, economic pressure and political division, all arriving one after another.
Perhaps that is why many people have begun switching off from the news altogether. I know I have reduced my own social media use. Stepping away from the constant noise can help restore some perspective.
Maybe every generation feels it is living through the worst decade. But having seen a few decades pass, I cannot help but feel this one has been particularly difficult so far.
The real question is how the 2020s will be remembered in years to come. Hopefully as a turbulent period that eventually settled, rather than the beginning of something much worse.
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