The Role of Young Generation

Prof. Dr. Imam Subchi, M.A.
Vice Rector II for General Administration

The commemoration of Youth Pledge Day has always served as a moment to reflect on the indispensable role of young people. Their emotional volatility, curiosity, and occasional naivety signal a deeper truth: human beings are always in the process of "becoming," as Stuart Hall said.

This process is ultimately a journey toward insan kamil, a state of moral and intellectual maturity. Their curiosity must be guided by habituation toward responsibility and social empathy.

Young people have always been the nation’s backbone. Their presence is awaited, for from their communities will emerge the leaders expected to steer the country toward a brighter future.

Entering the era of information disruption, it is wise to regard Youth Pledge Day as both an intellectual and spiritual exercise. It is an invitation to re-examine the golden meaning of youth. We talk not only about future challenges but also about how to prepare to confront them.

Contemporary Challenges

The global era brings paradoxes. On one hand, opportunities appear limitless; on the other, the challenges of creation grow more complex.

The pressure to be original must contend with an overwhelming flood of instant global content. Social media algorithms tend to replicate existing trends, crowding out experimentation and unfamiliar innovation.

Young people struggle to balance the preservation of their local cultural identity with the adoption of globalized styles that gain faster market acceptance. The challenge is no longer the scarcity of ideas but the ability to sustain focus amid constant digital distraction.

In employment, youth grapple with a widening mismatch between their skills and the rapidly shifting labor market. The 4.0 Industrial Revolution and automation are erasing traditional jobs, while demand surges for digital and analytical competencies that conventional education often fails to supply.

Academic degrees no longer guarantee opportunity; employers reward adaptability, problem-solving, and data literacy. Competition has become global, pressuring wages and raising skill thresholds as employers can now access talent from anywhere in the world.

Digital challenges have become multidimensional: not only gaps in access but also psychological and ethical consequences. Misinformation, echo chambers, and digital polarization shape perceptions and mental health.

Convenience often sacrifices data security and privacy, and digital literacy fails to fully comprehend these risks. As a result, youth become both users and products of digital platforms who are often unaware of the economic value extracted from their data. The challenge is to become critical and protected subjects in the digital ecosystem, not passive objects.

Global connectivity offers unprecedented possibilities for collaboration, yet also risks eroding local identities. Young people face pressure to master global (often Western) norms and languages to participate, sometimes at the expense of local cultural values.

The true task is balance: becoming global citizens without losing one’s roots, leveraging global networks to build solidarity and tackle shared issues such as climate change and injustice instead of being trapped in unequal cultural competition.

In governance, young people worldwide face a crisis of trust in traditional political institutions. Distrust grows amid perceptions of corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency, and the inability to address urgent problems such as inequality and climate change.

Formal political spaces often feel closed, uninspiring, and dominated by older elites disconnected from digital-age realities. Simultaneously, youth lead new forms of participation through digital activism, online petitions, and grassroots movements demanding accountability and progressive policies.

Their challenge is translating this energy into real political power, either by reforming existing systems or creating alternative governance models that are more transparent, inclusive, and responsive to the voices of young people.

In religious life, youth face tension between inherited tradition and modern global values. Exposure to diverse philosophies and lifestyles prompts many to reinterpret their beliefs beyond rigid hierarchical frameworks.

They seek spirituality that feels authentic, personal, and grounded in universal human values rather than ritual compliance alone. This often creates distance from religious institutions perceived as overly legalistic, exclusive, or disconnected from contemporary issues such as social justice and identity.

The challenge is embracing intellectual and spiritual exploration without severing ties to community and cultural roots while encouraging religious institutions capable of addressing the existential unease of young people.

Yuval Noah Harari cautioned that traditional religions confront a pivotal juncture: they must either transform or face extinction. In 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, he argues that their survival depends on a radical “revolution of doctrine.” Their willingness to deconstruct and reconstruct teachings is crucial to confront existential threats posed by biotechnology and AI.

Without such breakthroughs, religion risks becoming a nostalgic relic that tends to be reduced to peripheral ritual practice while the main stage of civilization is overtaken entirely by secular techno-humanist visions.

Beyond macro issues, we must also focus on the micro level: the inner life of youth. They live amid overwhelming stimulation and choice. Social media, academic pressures, and career expectations bombard them with messages about what matters: viral success, luxury lifestyles, and flawless self-presentation.

Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck argues that the root of modern anxiety is not indifference to meaningful things. His book serves as a corrective to the habit of measuring self-worth through likes, comments, and endless social comparison.

One of the most pervasive patterns among youth is the pursuit of toxic positivity with the pressure to feel perpetually joyful, confident, and optimistic. Manson calls this “The Feedback Loop from Hell.” When young people fail to maintain these emotions, they interpret it as personal failure.

His argument dismantles the modern myth of constant happiness and insists that struggle, failure, and negative emotions are inevitable and deeply meaningful parts of life. By embracing limitations and discomfort, youth can experience genuine freedom: liberation from the expectation to excel in everything.

Another pattern Manson identifies is the tendency to blame external factors for personal unhappiness. Young people often fall into a victim mentality, like blaming algorithms, systems, parents, or circumstances.

The book promotes a principle of radical responsibility: we may not be responsible for everything that happens to us, but we are always responsible for how we respond. This mindset is essential in a world defined by uncertainty. Shifting from “Who is at fault?” to “What can I do?” transforms passivity into agency.

In matters of values and purpose, youth often face a crisis of meaning. They are encouraged to search for a magical “passion” that will solve everything. Manson rejects this narrative. Passion, he argues, is not found but built through commitment and sacrifice. Constantly exploring options without committing leads to perpetual dissatisfaction. Happiness comes not from avoiding problems, but from choosing the right ones to solve.

Reorientation

Amid the complexity of global challenges reshaping every aspect of life, Indonesian youth can no longer remain spectators or mere critics. Digital disruption, climate crises, and social polarization demand an intellectually capable generation, collaboratively skilled, and morally anchored.

Turning potential into real transformative power requires a holistic approach by equipping them with the right tools they need. This can unfold through three key mindsets:

1. First, cultivating a constructive learning environment.
   It is not about knowing everything; rather, it is about building critical and analytical frameworks that expand imagination and sustain long-term thinking. Youth must embrace lifelong learning ecosystems with an adaptive and grounded approach. In this way, we create curators and creators capable of offering innovative solutions.

2. Second, cross-sector and interfaith collaboration must become the lifeblood of youth movements.
   Individual intellectual brilliance cannot solve systemic challenges. Young people must build strategic alliances across disciplines, economic sectors, and belief systems to organically generate social beneficial outcomes. Authentic collaboration views differences not as obstacles but as strengths that enrich collective insight and problem-solving.

3. Third, all efforts must serve sustainable collective well-being.
   Collaboration must be assessed by its real social impact, not by short-term projects with little to no benefits.

Youth energy must be directed toward creating “living chains” of empowerment, where every initiative multiplies benefits across the national ecosystem. By elevating public causes as their compass, youth contribute not only to personal success but also to enduring legacies rooted in society.

This article was originally published in Inilah on Tuesday (28/10/2025)