We Are Different

Generational turnover always comes with some degree of tension. That is simply the natural flow of history. But as it turned out, the rise of Gen Z coincided with another tech revolution - one driven by digitalization, smartphones, constant connectivity, an avalanche of information, and cheap dopamine. It blew the generation gap wide open. Still, Gen Z did not turn out this way in a vacuum. It was shaped by my generation - the baby boomers - and the Gen X who followed.

Helicopter parenting and participation trophies are prime, unfortunately widespread examples of that upbringing. Did this happen everywhere across the globe? Hardly. It is largely a product of the developed world, for the "Golden Billion" countries. A kid in China also grows up surrounded by digital tech and gadgets, yet spends fourteen hours a day studying with nobody hovering to protect them from failure. They enter adulthood primed for fierce competition. Or try telling a young guy grinding in a mine in Central Africa that putting a period at the end of a text is passive-aggressive and toxic. Right.

Be that as it may, Gen Z across the developed world has stepped into reality - and found itself ill-prepared. Will this generation manage to build a world that actually feels comfortable for them? I am not entirely sure, but I do hope so. I wrote the song "We Are Different" not to pass judgment, but to serve as a reminder: we are from different worlds, and every generation has to find its own way forward.

We are Different

Verse 1

You say we waste our time each day,

You say we’ve lost the proper way.

You had a plan, you had a goal,

A steady job, a settled home.

You lived by rules that worked for you.

Why should we have to follow too?

Chorus

We are different.

We are different!

You have found your way,

We'll find ours someday.

We are different!

Verse 2

The world you knew has changed today,

The old rules do not lead the way.

A degree will not bring good pay,

A steady job can fade away.

You tell us how your world once ran,

We live in one you never planned.

Chorus

We are different.

We are different!

You have found your way,

We'll find ours someday.

We are different!

Verse 3

We want our time, we want our choice,

We want the right to use our voice.

We choose what makes a life worthwhile,

We choose what makes us want to smile.

We have our dreams, as you had too,

But we don't dream the same as you.

Chorus

We are different.

We are different!

You have found your way,

We'll find ours someday.

We are different!

Outro

We do not want a smaller life,

We simply see it through our eyes.

We simply see it through our eyes.

We simply see it through our eyes!