It is over

Article by: ZORAIN NIZAMANI

It is over

For the older men and women in power, it’s over. The young generation isn’t buying any of what you’re trying to sell to them. No matter how many talks and seminars you arrange in schools and colleges, trying to promoting patriotism, it isn’t working. Patriotism comes naturally, when there is equal opportunity, sound infrastructure and efficient mechanisms in place. When you provide your people with basic necessities and ensure people get their rights, you won’t have to go to schools and colleges to tell students that they are supposed to love their country, they already will nonetheless.

Young minds, the Gen Z, the alphas, they know exactly what is happening and despite your consistent efforts of trying to sell your views of patriotism to them, they are seeing right through it. Thanks to the internet, thanks to whatever little education we have left, despite your best efforts of keeping the masses as illiterate as possible, you have failed. You have failed to

tell people what to think, they are thinking for themselves. They might be a little too scared to speak their minds because they prefer breathing. But they see right through the façade of self-righteousness and virtue that you’ve meticulously put together. You may be able to stay in power by using power but the people could not care less about you. You can’t even step outside your house without security, if that doesn’t speak enough about your popularity amongst people, you need to reevaluate things.

The younger lot has had enough and because they have learned that they cannot challenge the powers, they’re leaving the country. I would be too idealistic to think that they would lead a movement against corruption. They’d rather take a silent, quiet exit and not look back because their friends, who spoke up, were silenced.

But for the boomers, it’s over. There is no future for them. There seems to be a massive disconnect between the young population and the current re- gime. There is no mutual ground. The Gen Z wants faster internet, the ones in power want a stronger firewall. The Gen Z wants cheaper smartphones, the boomers want smartphones to be taxed. The Gen Z wants eased restrictions on freelancing, the boomers want to increase regulations on freelancing. There seems to be no common ground amongst them. That is exactly why the boomers have lost.

You can orchestrate all the wars you want; Gen Z will make memes out of it. Censor all the mainstream media, Gen Z will jump to platforms like Rumble, YouTube and Discord to voice their opinions. Boomers, you cannot censor thoughts now. Gone are the days when you could fool the people. No one’s being fooled anymore. Yes, we don’t have libraries. Yes, we cannot afford to rent an apartment. Yes, we cannot afford to buy a car anymore. All thanks to your efforts, the economy handed down to us is worse than your morals.

But despite all that, we continue to trudge along, finding solace in books, social media, coffee shops (as much as I despise them) and double patty beef burgers. We continue to navigate across the murky waters. We don’t watch when you talk on TV because most of the times whatever you say is hysterical. We have stand-up comedy for that, why watch mainstream media?

Times are changing and the sooner you realise the better. But you don’t care either. Your children are abroad, you’re making millions every single day, you enjoy vast, unchecked power, you eat the finest of foods and drink only the cleanest of water, why would you care?

You will when you realise no one’s listening to you.

You know why?

Gen Z has their headphones on and their Spotify paid for, if the situation becomes unbearable, half of them will have enough resources to leave, and the other half will survive quietly until they can. That is the reality you refuse to face.

You mistake silence for loyalty. You mistake compliance for belief. The younger generation is not apathetic, they are exhausted. They have seen enough broken promises, enough empty slogans, enough staged speeches about sacrifice that never applies to the ones delivering them. They understand that shouting achieves nothing in a system designed to crush dissent. So they adapt. They withdraw. They disengage. And when possible, they leave.

This is not rebellion in the way you understand it. There are no rallies, no flags, no chants. This is a quiet rejection. A refusal to participate in a story that no longer makes sense. A generation that measures success not by titles or medals, but by freedom, mobility, and peace of mind. They want to work without being strangled by red tape. They want to speak without fear. They want to live without feeling like the future is a punishment.

You keep asking why the youth does not care. The truth is, they care deeply. They care enough to notice that the system rewards loyalty over merit, noise over truth, and obedience over competence. They care enough to understand that staying and fighting often costs more than it gives back. They care enough to choose themselves when the country refuses to choose them.

This is the part you cannot accept. You believe authority guarantees relevance. It does not. Relevance is earned. Trust is built. Respect is mutual. None of these can be forced. You can control institutions, but you cannot control belief. You can regulate platforms, but you cannot regulate thought. The moment you lost the youth, you lost the future.

And you did lose them. Not in a dramatic collapse, but in a slow fade. One visa at a time. One muted microphone at a time. One ignored speech at a time. They are no longer angry. Anger implies hope. They are done expecting anything from you.

This is not a threat. It is an observation.

It is over.

#ZORAINNIZAMANI

ZORAIN NIZAMANI