Opinion

25 May 2021 www.nstimes.org Volume 14 Issue 9

4

Student underlines the importance of connection

by audrey inglish

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Two years ago, this statement terrified me. I now understand why: two years ago, the people surrounding me weren’t people I truly and deeply admired.

Upon starting my junior year of high school, I registered as a new student at NS. Today, as I prepare to graduate, my perspective has changed completely. Now, nothing makes me prouder than the thought of being like the students and teachers that I spent the last two years with.

At the beginning of my time at NS, “Real Human Connection” was just an arbitrary slogan, a few vague words that held almost no significance in my life. In the present moment, as I reflect on my high school experience, I realize what a crucial difference this “Real Human Connection” has made for me.

At NS, I found a connection to my peers that I previously didn’t think I needed. This school gave me a community, a mentor, and stronger friendships than I ever thought I’d have. Through the journalism program, I found a place and a purpose. I found a group of people willing to understand me.

My time at NS showed me what it means to find real human connection. Connection is choosing to share your human experience with the people around you. Although each human experience is unique, to be connected to others and to your community is to allow them to impact who you are and what you feel. It is striving to understand others and allowing them to understand you in return.

Connection is found in everyday interactions, from deep conversations to smiles exchanged in passing. On a personal level, connection is the love I feel for my classmates and teachers. It’s knowing that I would do anything for them and that they would do the same for me. It’s sharing their joy and their grief, their laughter and tears.

Connection isn’t a gift or talent that magically comes to a few lucky people, though I do count myself lucky to have found it. To form a connection, you have to actively search. You have to work; to be willing to make sacrifices and put aside your prejudices. It’s not easy at times, but working towards connection is what gives life a deeper meaning.

As we interview, write, and report on experiences at NS, our goal is to seek out this real human connection. Especially in a year full of restrictions and limited interaction, it’s more important than ever to us that our time and energy is dedicated to connecting community members through their unique yet shared human experiences.

As we reflect on the challenges of the past year, we at the NS Times hope that through our work, we have helped you find a connection to the NS community. Looking to the future, we hope that you continue to work for that connection. We hope that you find purpose and fulfillment as you continue to search and make sacrifices for those around you. Because without real human connection—without each other—life means so much less.

Gen: Z, let’s talk, we have a problem

by Josh Cox

Fifteen years, 1997 to 2012. That’s what it takes to be a member of Gen Z, and that’s what all of us students are at NS right now. But our generation, as a whole, has a problem. Well, more than one problem, actually. We are too soft, with no respect for anyone, and extremely dependent on others to do everything for us. But why is this happening to our generation? Why are we so lazy, soft, and disrespectful, all at the same time?

I can put a couple theories forward. One, it’s not actually our fault. Maybe it’s the generation that raised us. The generations that raised us, mainly Gen X with some Boomers, are too soft with us. Other generations have had parents that are hard on them, that have put them to work. Many older generations are really tough because of the work ethic they were given, because of the lessons they were taught by their parents.

Now, I think that parents are too lenient with kids and give them what they want, when they want it, not letting us experience things for ourselves. This style of parenting, called permissive parenting, is becoming increasingly common. An article from Healthline, “Should you practice permissive parenting,” medically reviewed by Melanie Santos and written by Chaunie Brusie on June 22, 2017 says, “Permissive parents rarely discipline their children. They avoid confrontation whenever possible. Instead of setting rules and expectations or trying to prevent problems from happening, they choose to instead let children figure things out for themselves.” Because of this, our generation has been allowed to become soft and overemotional. That means when the time comes for us to actually get up and work, we complain and can’t do it. Oftentimes, our generation procrastinates, especially in our teenage years. Because we have a lot of things done for us, we become lazy. We don’t know that work is good for us, and that it makes us stronger and builds character.

Another theory is that our generation is like this because of electronics. With all the information we need literally at our fingertips, it’s easy to become lazy, selfish, and disrespectful. For example, when you need to do schoolwork, you can do most of it on the iPads our school gives us. We don’t have to do anything except lay on our couches and half heartedly do schoolwork. Also, a study done by The Center For Generational Kinetics shows that “95% of Gen Z has a smartphone. Over half (55%) of Gen Z use their smartphones 5 or more hours a day and over a quarter (26%) use their phones 10 or more hours a day.” That is absolutely stunning to me, and a little disturbing.

Some people might argue that doing schoolwork on your iPad is productive, and it is. But, that’s not even half the problem. There are so many things you do on devices that it’s ridiculous. Social media is the worst for this, because it lets you “talk” to people online, and gives you a false sense of socializing. In fact, the study also shows that “73% of Gen Z follow at least one brand on social media and 52% follow three or more.” I know our generation loves this kind of stuff, that’s why it’s a problem, because they don’t see the problem with not talking to people. They’re getting more lazy all the time.

In the end, I think the problem is a combination of both of these things. Some of our parents are way too lenient on us and electronics make us selfish and lazy. Both of these things combined have an extremely negative effect on us, turning us into a generation dependent on electronics, and a generation taking advantage of their parents. In fact, an article written by Kim Parker and Ruth Igielnik at Pew Research Center says, “They are digital natives who have little or no memory of the world as it existed before smartphones.” This is partly because of our parents, allowing us access to electronics, and then we consequently get addicted to our phones.

Some people might say that electronics don’t affect our generation negatively, and that they’ve improved the world. I agree that technology and electronics have improved the world, when used in the right way. There is so much good you can do with devices, but also so much harm that can be done. In an article published by the Atlantic, “Have smartphones destroyed a generation?” Jean M. Twinge said, “The results could not be clearer: Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average on non screen activities are more likely to be happy.”

In conclusion, our generation has some issues. We are lazy, and oftentimes don’t do work for ourselves. Although it is us doing it to ourselves, and we need to take responsibility for that, a couple things have had major effects on us. I believe it is a combination of the parenting job we have received, along with the constant access to electronics. But, to end on a positive note, Generation Z is also more racially and ethnically diverse than any other generation, along with the fact that we are on track to be the most well educated generation yet. So, I think there is hope for the future. And who knows? Maybe this could be the best generation yet.