Are We The ‘Unserious’ Generation?

I am sure by now all of us have seen enough and more images and reels of how Gen-Z called the shots on the regime change in Nepal, even electing their new Prime Minister through an online social platform! As much as our Himalayan neighbour was known for Pashupatinath temple, Patan Darbar and the Mt. Everest, not in my wildest dreams did I think that I would see teenagers and twenty-somethings climb atop a flaming Parliament, doing the ‘aura farming’ steps. Not just that, beneath a broken bus, a suit-clad youth was casually texting someone, while the rest of the street was a picture of absolute chaos. We had friends in civilian clothes stick their tongue out at a soldier who was presumably their classmate in school. It was bizarre to see the world go up in flames while the Gen-Z protestors did hook-steps to the latest trending song on Instagram and TikTok. Are you serious? Nay, unserious!When I think of this protest imagery, I can’t help but compare it to the only iconic image of civilian protest that most of us know. It’s June 1989. Beijing is in the throes of a security clampdown. A student-led hunger strike had escalated into a massive country-wide protest in China, where the citizens wanted the Communist Party out for its corrupt practices, inability to control inflation, and the restrictions set on freedom of expression. It was a call to restore democracy in China. Started in April of 1989, it had got the world watching, ultimately culminating in a massacre at Tiananmen Square with over three lakh troops being mobilised there to clear the young protestors. It sounds a lot like what happened in Nepal, but it was way different. But let’s come back to this standout image.An empty road. Four military tanks lined up one behind the other. A solitary man, in a white shirt and black trousers, facing the tanks. His shoulders rounded passively, and his hands limp, holding what’s presumably a grocery bag. Civilian versus military standoff. Individual versus the might of the State..Foreign media were cleared out of China. There was a complete blackout of television and print media reporting. This rare image, captured by Jeff Widener, an Associated Press photographer at the time, came to be known as the Tank Man.Thirty-six years later, this image remains one of the most evocative, uniting the audience from world over on what unfair militarisation and centralisation of power can lead to. Citizens have every right to protest and call for regime change. I am not sure if in 2081, the world would look so kindly at a 20-something Nepali gyrating to Bollywood songs, in front of a flaming Parliament.Should we be serious about the state of world affairs? Yes. Should we take charge and call out injustices? Yes. Should we attempt to change the system? Yes. Should we do this to garner likes and subscribers? No. If we are ‘unserious’ and like wearing it as a badge, let’s get unserious about the various hangups we have in life. Let’s get unserious about our obsession with our looks, our material possessions, our divisive identities. Let’s take these illusory, temporary badges as play and focus on getting some good work done. Let’s get serious about things that really matter to us and our society and our world. While we go about performing our dharma, the world around us automatically becomes a better place to live in. We can go about our day-to-day tasks with absolute seriousness and bask in the infinite aura it grants us.However, to be clear, being dutiful doesn’t mean curbing our freedom or joy. Being serious about our lives can, in fact, add more freedom and joy in the long run. I would like for Gen Z to be remembered for real aura, and not some simulated thirty-second dash at fame.

Are We The ‘Unserious’ Generation?

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