Letter 2: On New Times

Dear sister,

Scrolling through the previous letter, I was wondering in what society we now live in. I was thinking hard when suddenly, seamlessly, one word popped up in my mind: appearance.

The society of Appearance; I have finally found an appropriate term for these times. Do not get me wrong, appearance has always been part of this world, the concern of even too many people; but I do believe that today, especially due to the spread of social media and to their increasing global use, more and more people increasingly care only about their appearance. Unfortunately, it seems to me that Substance has not increased correspondingly.

The Covid pandemic has provided us with a brilliant example of this. Both the state and the medias have been swept away with a wave of ‘emotional incontinence’. People cared to show how compassionate and understanding they were; how sorrowful and touched by other people’s tragedies; how supportive of their national institutions. This mixture of cheesiness and jingoism usually has very wet outcomes: people pouring out their hearts disproportionately, with feelings often not matching their behaviours.

Meanwhile the ‘real’ substance – what really matters, the unspoken and unseen deed – is forgotten. Everyone feels the urgence of immediately letting the world know how good they have been in helping so and so, how close they were with so and so; but then, you know for sure that the two were talking at each other’s back all the time, only feigning overt affection.

I do not want to be a part of this, sister; that is why I have distanced myself from every form of jingoistic celebration (especially those on social media) and, by consequence, every other form of superficial appearance. Mind you, many times I have been – and still am – a nonconformist (and sometime just for the sake of it, I confess). However, I am also aware of my Substance: I know what I am; how I can be; what I feel; what I do; what I believe in. I do not need to show all this off to the world at every occasion just to be liked, approved of; or simply just to ‘fit in’. The world does not care anyway.

And talking about new times, I have also become aware of another issue related to this matter. Generational conflicts have been around probably since ever, but I want to talk to you about the one which we are currently experiencing.

At this point in space and time we are witnessing the clash between ‘Generation X’ (people now in their 40s and 50s) and the ‘Millennials’ (ourselves, in our 20s and 30s). Generation X is made up of ‘adults’, people in full maturity and who are mostly currently holding the reins of power and are in decision-making positions. Generation X was brought up in the tail-end of the post-war economic boom and grew up with quite secure prospects for their future.

The problem lies within this fast-paced, ever-changing world of ours. I feel there is a gap between the beliefs of Generation X and the reality and needs of today’s society. Perhaps I am rambling like this because I grew up as a Millennial myself. Certain things, however, are undeniable.

Many of those belonging to Generation X sometime still feel threatened by the changes brought by globalisation; by consequence, I have witnessed much nationalism, conservatism and traditionalism within their ranks. Millennials, on the other hand, were brought up alongside the unfolding of the globalising process. This meant that many of them, of us, have adopted a completely opposite approach towards ‘the other’ – much more tolerable and open, at times more ‘cosmopolitan’ – reflecting the context they grew up in. Many Millennials still grew up at a time of economic prosperity but, by the time the majority of them had reached maturity, the cracks and failings of the system had become much more visible. Then came the financial crash of 2008, austerity, sky-high unemployment and the end of a dream. Millennials could not be so secure about their future as Generation X had been. Furthermore, Millennials were educated alongside the development of new sophisticated technologies – the likes of the Internet, the mobile phone, the computer, the social media, the ‘app’; Millennials are the first concrete embodiment of the ‘Digital Age’.

This ‘Digital Age’ seems to have brought with it a new set of challenges, different from the ones that Generation X had prepared themselves to tackle. In this too-fast-changing world, the people at the helm of the ship seem to be detached from the problems of everyday society, as if they are living somewhere else – a world imbibed with their concerns, which has already changed by now. Covid has further unveiled the presence of additional cracks on the wall. The house is creaking and swinging.

Perhaps that is why more and more people trench themselves in the safety of appearances: appearing is much less scary, time consuming and difficult than being. Trends are much easier and safe to follow than creating your own way.

I hope you’ll know what path to follow.

Farewell,

Melody