A Generation Going Through the Motions

With all the comparisons to the "great" generation of the 1940's, 50's, and monikers (iGeneration, GenerationMe, Millennials, etc.), I don't think enough is made about how our generation compares another generation, the "Lost Generation" of the late 1920's and 30's. Much like them we're a generation promised everything, and usually given it, only to mature during a time of economic decline. Raised to believe in the sanctity of the individual and the promise of success we are finding that individuality and success are becoming more uncommon. It's something I've seen, something I've lived through. An image that was characteristic of generation x and the reactionaries before them, a group of teens in a circle, experimenting with drugs and alcohol, is still true of youth today, but something has changed. It is less a social outcry and more an effort to hide oneself in apathy. There is no one unifying cause, but a number of a smaller issues to occupy our attention (global warming, health care, abortion, etc). And as informed as we are, and for all the opportunities we're given, it seems we do less with more.

In that regards in the coming weeks I'll be researching the so called quarter-life crisis, especially the psychological effects and consequences of it. What happens when an entire generation loses a sense of purpose? Is this new trend of volunteering based off of purely selfish motivation, and if so, how does this affect societal conscience? Does the lack of a culturally unifying figure (despite Obama's best efforts), great war, or true cause, effect us? How does this relate to drug use, suicide, and depression?