The Doom of Young Men in our Modern World

How young men suffer in the modern age and the problems they face.

It seems to me that young men are stumbling in the modern age. It seems to me that young men are not what they could be. And it seems to me that many young men feel that they don’t seem to be up to the demands of life. Indeed, the average modern man doesn’t strike me as particularly self-confident. Possibly he feels deep down that he isn’t what he is supposed to be.

Observing my fellow men, friends and myself, I perceive some problems, which I see as characteristic for the life situation of young men in the modern age.

1. disorientation and meaninglessness

A large proportion of young men (and women) exhibit a lack of orientation in their lives. They cannot give a satisfactory answer to the question “What should I do in my life?” They don’t know what values to uphold and what goals to strive for. To those individuals who are somewhat intellectually inclined, life seems meaningless. This experienced meaninglessness may be one reason why many young men are unwilling to go to great lengths to work toward a chosen goal.
God (and with him religion) was already killed a hundred years ago and now modern man seems to drift around in space without a given goal and without meaning.
On top of that, there is a lack of role models and knowledgeable people who can give an answer to the how of life and show a meaningful path through life by their own way of living.

2. seclusion from fellow human beings

Young men lack intimate relationships with those around them. Only a few men seem to have friends with whom they can share their worries and problems. Conversations among friends seem to go into depth only extremely rarely and often remain stuck on superficialities.
Likewise, fewer and fewer young men seem to be in an intimate relationship with a woman. On the one hand, many young men lack the qualities that would make them attractive to a woman. On the other hand, young men often don’t dare to reveal themselves with all their weaknesses and shortcomings to a woman.
Also, the relationship with their own parents doesn’t seem to be an intimate relationship. The parents themselves often don’t know the answer to the problems of modernity and, moreover, seem to struggle with them themselves.
Thus, young men often stand alone with their problems and hide them from those around them. This leads to the false impression that one’s own problems are unique and that one is the only one affected by them, whereas in reality many young men share the same problems.

3. addictions

Young people in the modern age are exposed to a variety of substances and technologies with a high potential for addiction. These include porn, nicotine, alcohol, the Internet, video games, cannabis and social media. It is difficult to find a young man who is not addicted to at least one of these substances or technologies. However, it is unclear whether these addictions are a means of escaping the pain and suffering caused by other problems (e.g., loneliness, a sense of meaninglessness, etc.) or whether the addictions cause these problems in the first place. The modern belief that the goal of life is the greatest possible personal happiness and that personal suffering is a sign of a wrong and unsuccessful life, in my opinion, further contributes to the spread of these addictions.

4. lack of assertiveness towards life

Not being able to put their own plans into practice seems to be another serious problem for the vast majority of young men.
For example, getting up early, exercising regularly or studying regularly are goals of many young men, but only very few of them manage to integrate these habits into their lives permanently. This failure, in turn, results in a lack of self-confidence.

5. bleakness of the future

The lack of assertiveness or the experience of repeated failure in plans leads to the circumstance that the future appears to many young men as something bleak. They don’tt look forward to the future with anticipation and hope, but rather with horror that their own painful condition will not end there.

6. shyness and discomfort in social situations

Young men in the modern age often seem to find it difficult to master the simplest social interactions. For example, asking the employee at the local supermarket is perceived as something extremely unpleasant, as is gossiping with relatives at the annual family celebration. It is even more difficult to approach others alone, especially if they are women or unknown persons. This timidity in turn increases the likelihood of loneliness and the lack of an intimate relationship with a woman.

Thank you very much for your time!

If you have any questions about the topic, remarks or suggestions for improvement for me, I would be delighted if you would let me know in the comments.