Why young people are turning their backs on busyness

These days, without the promise of a home, a salary, and a future on a healthy planet, it makes sense that Gen Zers are quitting the rat race. Exhausted, overwhelmed, and on the brink of total collapse, the concept of ‘soft living’ has never seemed more appealing.

Ever since the end of pandemic, there’s been a brewing backlash against hustle culture.

Triggered by Molly-Mae’s controversial ‘we all have the same 24 hours in a day’ comment in 2022 and perpetuated by Kim K’s rant in a similar vein, the conversation urges us to consider why we so eagerly continue to worship at the altar of busyness when we know it’s doing us no good.

This is unsurprising, really, given that hard work no longer seems to be paying off.

Amid a cost of living crisis that means Gen Zers may never be able to afford to buy a home or retire at a reasonable age — not to mention the threats posed by climate change and armed conflicts that are only worsening — ambition has increasingly lost its appeal for the burnt out masses and consumerist, materialistic lifestyles aren’t seen as worth participating in the rat race for.