We’re a great riddle to you. An incomprehensible phenomenon.
Our words and deeds refute all your theories and arguments.
We live in the world you dreamt of, yet this world disgusts us.
Thanks to you, we could develop free from all social obligations and values; thanks to you we go lost and lonely through life.
You’ve destroyed everything that could have offered us identity and refuge, yet you’re shocked that we’re unhappy.
For deep in us lies a constant feeling of being alone, of being lost. We do everything to numb this feeling.
We throw the wildest parties and meet in glowing malls; we dance all night, take drugs, or hide behind our computers. Any means is justified in order to overcome this loneliness, but we are always still alone in the end.
You have taught us that we can buy anything. But where can we buy a remedy for loneliness?
Not that we didn’t try. With brand names, labels, and the latest clothing styles, we want to belong to a certain group. It may seem laughable to you, but for us, this is one of the last remaining possibilities to somehow find a place where we belong.
Sometimes we manage to convince ourselves in our despair that we are absolutely unique, that we don’t need to belong to anything. In this way we give ourselves strength when the loneliness overcomes us.
Even if, one day, we become part of a group, because our innermost selves long for identity and belonging, we still can’t enjoy it. We always hear your nagging voices in our heads, warning us about the dangers of peer pressure and the loss of our individuality. This inner conflict plunges us into yet deeper despair.