[Voices of the MZ Generation] Survival Strategies of a Generation That Learned Anxiety

[Asia Economy]

Writer Jeong Ji-woo

It was during my time attending law school as a late bloomer. I was drinking canned coffee because I didn’t want to waste money, when a younger student in his twenties studying with me said, "I drink a 5,000 won iced Americano every day. It feels like that’s the only thing I can do as I please." Those were times when none of us had money, time, or energy. Even that was a kind of luxury for us. Yet, he didn’t want to give up on drinking slightly expensive coffee.

The life of a test-taker is a time when your mind is constantly betrayed. Things you expected to appear on the exam don’t, things you thought you memorized don’t come to mind, and your grades don’t reflect your efforts. What you thought was the answer turns out not to be, and you wanted to get an A or 80 points but end up with a B or 50 points. At times like these, we quickly come to believe that there is nothing we can control, and our motivation breaks down.

At such times, a cup of iced Americano bought with your own money gives back a sense of control. When you spend a not insignificant amount of money to order coffee, you can be sure to receive a friendly smile and a delicious, refreshing coffee. At least that fact you can predict and control with certainty. That fact does not betray you. In that way, you believe you can predict and control your life.

The moment you put the straw of the iced Americano into your mouth and take a sip, you regain your faith in life along with a slight pleasure. By giving yourself a small indulgent gift and receiving even a small pleasure as a definite reward, you endure a life full of uncertainty.

Many older generations say they don’t understand why young people buy expensive coffee every lunch. But this is also a kind of survival method chosen by youth in this anxious era. From fierce competition starting in kindergarten, the anxiety of employment where even writing 100 resumes rarely leads to an interview, to the anxiety that they may never own a home or get married, they too need something that they can do 'as they please.'

So they gain small achievements by coloring in coloring books, or become 'sikjipsa' (a newly coined term meaning ‘plant caretaker’) and immerse themselves in growing plants. Or they willingly become 'helchang' (a newly coined term meaning ‘fitness enthusiast’) and dive into building their bodies, or focus on increasing their SNS followers or ‘likes.’ If not that, they create 'jjalbang' (meme images) in online communities with no profit just to gain some empathy. In this uncertain world where nothing goes as planned, these are the ways they choose to believe they have some control over their lives.

So, if you ever find it hard to understand young people, perhaps you could think, 'Maybe it’s because they’re anxious.' More precisely, you could think, 'Maybe it’s because they feel they have nothing they can do as they please.' Furthermore, this thought might also apply to yourself. When you find yourself obsessing over seemingly useless or inefficient things, there’s no need to blame yourself too hastily. Perhaps in those moments, you are recovering your confidence that you can control this life.

Jung Ji-woo, cultural critic and lawyer (author of 'There Is No Despair on Instagram')