Could Gen Z Be The New Stoics?

24/02/2023 - Oxford.ing

Before you just say 'no' I thought I'd delve a little deeper into the why of the matter. It's no doubt that youngens nowadays are given, and to a fairly accurate extent, have got a bad rep, and the bad end of the stick. Now that's not to say that we youngens have worse living conditions or access to stuff, like interesting food or being able to see what's going on in a field on a wildlife reserve in South Africa whilst waiting for the kettle to boil so you can have another strangely favoured beverage, supposedly masquerading as 'tea'. It's very clear that the opportunities we have now in this part of human existence are quite literally breathtaking, and it's in both the psychological and physical senses that we can say that too.

On a bit of public transport around Oxford yesterday I overheard a couple of students talking about their recruitment and employment struggles, nonchalantly mentioning the past overdue bills on their flats and the constant stream of rejection letters flowing into their inboxes. They started to talk of how the world was changing, how 'you can't expect people to actually live like this', in relation to incomes and qualities of life. I was briefly reminded of my own childhood upbringing, the green fields where I used to play with my friends are now housing estates, houses of which I would need to win the lottery to even be considered for a shared ownership scheme.

Growing up, I noticed that the air quality has gotten progressively worse as we started to go about our lives of just doing stuff, then it got a little bit better when the Governments and Councils started to connect the dots that were very clearly already connected by quite literally anyone outside of the government paper pushers remit. Yes, breathing air, you know that thing we sort of need, to breathe and do those other things like live and order takeaways and immobilise ourselves whilst we digest 'probably too much' food. Air was a big thing for me, I love it, I literally cannot live without it.

Besides the food being better, the air getting better, and the things we can do with communication getting, you guessed it, way better; we also got way more opportunities to work and experience different parts of life in a more meaningful and worthwhile way. But, and it's a really big one. We also have the highest rates of teen suicides and the highest rates of depression the world has ever seen. Does anyone think it might be related to the opportunities to communicate with people on the other side of the planet, who we'll most likely never meet or see every in our entire lives? Might it be related to the older generations thinking they're justified in owning multiple properties and renting them out for stupendously large amounts of money, whilst saying that the younger people should 'just work harder' and 'make coffee at home instead of buying one'? Might it have something to do with the fact that younger people don't feel valued in workplaces when their bosses and employers make it very clear that 'they're replaceable, so they should be grateful for the opportunity to work for £21,000 a year'? My immediate response to this proposed argument is 'if younger people are so replaceable, then why are you struggling to fill the roles and openings in your company?'

The two on the bus got off a stop before mine, which was annoying because I was actually enjoying their conversation on how they can't afford to do anything, go anywhere, eat anything remotely resembling food, or enjoy any of the commodities or entertainments that the older people have made for us. It was interesting to listen to their perspectives. Interestingly, they put a lot more emphasis on the impact of not being able to do anything because of the lack of finances rather than the stress of actually not having any disposable funds. But the strange thing I noticed was their calm. It's a new type of calm I've noticed from younger people that's really not like the older people of the country. It's almost like they simply lost the full ability to really care about things now. And it very much reminds me of the Stoic works that fascinated me as a teen and still does as a young adult. It got me thinking about whether we can call them 'Stoics' or simply a new era of IDGAF that's constantly changing and evolving as the world as we know it drags itself a little further down the 'what's gonna happen next?' rabbit hole. So, I thought I'd break down my thought process on the idea of the Gen Zers being the new stoics and just what it could actually be that's happening nowadays. A forewarning, this sounds posh but I promise it's just the coffee kicking in, and me trying to not sound like a crazy person just oggling people on the bus:

The Stoics of ancient Greece and Rome were known for their philosophy of embracing hardship and adversity as a means of personal growth and enlightenment, and in recent years, there has been growing interest in Stoicism among younger generations, particularly with these youngen's we like to call 'Gen Z'. A lot of people would argue that they're in fact more snowflake than the other snowflake generations but the truth is they've been dealt a pretty bum hand on a lot of things, and it could be argued that the ability to be resilient, adaptable, and introspective and thoughtful just enough to get the work done, it begs the question: are Gen Z the new Stoics of the world?

To answer this question, we have to look at and examine what Stoicism actually is and how it compares to the attitudes and behaviours of Gen Z.

So what actually is Stoicism?

Stoicism is a philosophy that emphasizes the importance of reason, self-control, and virtue. It teaches that individuals should focus on what they can control, rather than being consumed by external factors such as wealth, fame, or status. In this sense, Stoicism encourages individuals to develop resilience and inner strength through adversity, rather than being defined by it.

Soooo... If we're gunna be kind, right about now is where we can say, probably not the generation of stoics we all thought they could be...

Gen Z is known for their ability to adapt to change, their resilience in the face of adversity, and their commitment to social justice and equality. They have grown up in a world of constant technological innovation, political turmoil, and economic uncertainty, and have had to navigate these challenges with grace and flexibility.

So, are Gen Z the new Stoics of the world? While there are certainly similarities between the two, it's important to note that Stoicism is a specific philosophy, while Gen Z's attitudes and behaviors are a product of their unique cultural context. While some members of Gen Z may be drawn to Stoic philosophy and find value in its teachings, it would be inaccurate to say that Gen Z as a whole represents a modern-day incarnation of Stoicism.

However, there is no denying that the attitudes and behaviors of Gen Z align with many of the core tenets of Stoic philosophy. Both emphasize the importance of resilience, adaptability, and self-control in the face of adversity. Both encourage individuals to focus on what they can control, rather than being consumed by external factors. And both place a high value on personal growth and development.

In conclusion, while Gen Z may not be the new Stoics of the world in the strictest sense of the term, there is no denying that their attitudes and behaviors align with many of the core principles of Stoic philosophy. As the world continues to change and evolve, it's likely that we will see a continued interest in Stoicism among younger generations as they seek to navigate the challenges of the modern world with resilience, adaptability, and inner strength.

So maybe they're just the generation that never even got the opportunity to check in, let alone check out.

The whole idea that generations of people are 'checking out' or 'quiet quitting' is really interesting to me and I'm definitely going to dive down this rabbit hole soon.