⏱ Estimated reading time: 2 min read
Comparison has quietly become one of the biggest problems facing young people today.
A twenty-five-year-old who has just started earning feels like a failure because someone his age owns a house. A graduate feels left behind because a friend has already moved to Canada, Europe, or the Middle East, found a job, or is in a family business. Someone who is trying to heal from years of depression watches another person’s wedding photos and wonders why life has been so unfair.
We compare results, but we rarely compare the circumstances that produced them.
Two people may cross the same finish line, but one ran on a smooth track while the other spent half the race carrying burdens no one could see.
One grew up in a home where education was a priority. Another spent childhood worrying about whether there would be food on the table. One inherited confidence because every mistake was forgiven. Another was punished for every mistake until fear became part of his personality. One had connections that opened doors. Another had to knock on every door until his hands bled.
Yet society places both of them on the same measuring scale.
This obsession with comparison assumes that everyone begins life from the same starting point.
They don’t.
Some inherit wealth. Some inherit debt. Some inherit peace. Some inherit trauma. Some inherit opportunities. Some inherit responsibilities.
There are young people who are supporting entire families before they turn twenty-five. Others are raising younger siblings because their parents cannot. Some are fighting illnesses nobody knows about. Some are battling anxiety every morning before leaving their homes. Others are trying to rebuild themselves after failures they never speak about.
But none of these struggles appear on Instagram. None of them appear on a CV. So how dare you compare people?
Every generation says young people are weak.
But perhaps they are simply carrying burdens previous generations never had to carry.
A collapsing economy. Rising costs of living. Constant comparison through social media. Global competition for jobs. Degrees that no longer guarantee employment. A future that feels increasingly uncertain.
And despite all this, they are still expected to smile whenever someone asks why they are not as successful as another cousin.
The only fair comparison is between who you were yesterday and who you are today.
