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Nyasha Chironje

Youth Interactive Correspondent

We live in a society that promotes materialism and this has developed the desire to fit in and it compels us into wishing if we were other people, resulting in individuals becoming envious of their peers.

But what is the driving force behind this?  I am going to get into some one of the reasons why we are suffering from this syndrome. 

Young people are taught to measure success and happiness in life based on how much stuff they have, it is evident on how young people carry themselves around once they possess certain things, for example buy a car, get the latest phone or if they are up to date with all the fashion trends.

With social media at our finger tips where we see our peers displaying a picture perfect like and with everyone looking up to celebrities and influencers living their best life with all the luxurious things the world an offer, has definitely made the youth develop this natural greed for more and this has resulted in dissatisfaction when one doesn’t have enough.

This can negativity affect a person’s life as they are under the impression that they are doing bad in life if they cant afford all the luxurious things we see on social media, without realising that the life on social does not exist.

 They are putting up a facade because nobody shows their failures or how they acquired their wealth. We see people posting relationship goals and yet behind the curtains the woman or the man has to put up with their partner’s toxic behaviour which could be abuse.

 This has made a lot of young people question their relationships as they have compared themselves with the most loved couples on social media.

Parents also play a role in this by measuring happiness and success by things owned by their children, and if they don’t own anything tangible like a house or a car they often get compared to their age mates.

This brings a sense of failure as they are often heard pointing out that their age mates own businesses, cars and stands, which is clearly a comparison highlighting that peers are leading successful.

Our society glorifies item possession, everything becomes a status symbol, which is falsely associated with happiness and success. 

It is clear that this has negatively impacted the youths of today as we have found ourselves under tremendous pressure to keep up with the so-called soft life.

This has undoubtedly led people to slip into depression as we have down played our small victories as they are not deemed a success.

The pressure of keeping up with expectations of those around us is increasing by the day and can cause depressive disorders. 

Some people blame technology for the rise in mental health problems and disorders, while others point out conditions like “fear of missing out as the culprit”.

One would wonder what is the way forward and how do we move forth from a place of unrealistic expectations so we could cultivate a happy life?

We definitely need to come to terms with who we are and where we come from.

Accepting our reality seems to be the efficient way to overcome this problem, especially accepting that other children come from wealthy families and if you come from a middle class there is no need to put ourselves under pressure.

We should accept our reality and acknowledge our effort to motivate us as individuals. We should remember that all that glitters is not gold. We should be grateful for what we have whilst we work towards what our heart desires.

Depression is real and most youths got depressed in the early stages of teenhood.

If you are already depressed, please seek professional help and maintain a positive mind in the process.