Quarter-Life Crisis?
We're overweight, unfit, drink too much and the weather is lousy. But what exactly can make Ireland such a depressing place to live in at the moment for some young people? Unrivalled monetary wealth in the history of the state and still unhappiness prevails. Is it just nostalgic to think that the leaner times presented much more opportunity for cultural and spiritual growth?
For many people around the world Ireland is an idyllic place. It has its green landscape, the craic and a good naturedness inherent in its natives. But the average man in Ireland until the mid 90s had nothing in monetary comparison to the rich neighbours in the UK and the even richer cousins in the US. And still they were an upbeat lot back then, singing in the pubs and creating more literary works than one had time to read. It made for a great holiday destination for the wealthier peoples around the globe. And so it proved, with the Yanks more than willing to part with dollars on long touring holidays of Eire.
However, this fair land has changed. We "touch base" with clients and fellow managers, we drink skinny lattés at 11 and keep track of our portfolios online. Work hours now extend to late evening. Goals and targets must be met to satisfy the imperialists in the US, otherwise they move operations to India. Stress and stress-related illness are commonplace but you daren't take a sick day for fear a colleague gains the upper hand in the race to the top. And the result? Depression, unhappiness, tiredness and a tendency to reach for the remote control instead of getting physically active. Ireland is an educated and a clever nation being burdened and misshaped by a foreign corporate culture. And all in the space of 20 years. But it's paying off, right? Sure, we're loaded. The bank balance says so. Ireland has gone from the thatched cottage in the 40s to the £1,000,000-plus three-bedroomed semis of the Noughties.
But what about the cultural and spiritual side effect? The Catholic Church is dying. The raping of young people's trust and faith in the institution has turned many away. Church attendance by twenty-somethings on Sunday mornings is virtually non-existent. In its place is the ritual of nursing a hangover from the previous night's over indulgence. Be they good or bad, at least the Catholic Church gave meaning and a tangible tap-in to spirituality. The iconoclastic inclinations of Ireland’s youth are understandable, but there's no plan B. The only thing that seems to get the majority of young people excited is reality TV and sugarcoated music from Kylie Minogue. Most free time is used up in the plastic and trendy bars that are sprouting ubiquitously. Nobody's expecting them to be pouring over Joyce's Ulysses on a Saturday night, but there must be something better to do than down seven pints of beer and five shots of gin, and to later go on and kick somebody's head in when you've been turfed out of Annabel's at 3am.
A huge trend to emerge in the last ten years is that of young people travelling to faraway places. Work for a year or two after college and save enough money to go abroad. Some call it the quarter-life crisis. And where is the number one destination for Irish travellers? Is it somewhere one can learn about cultural diversity and the dynamics of a different country? You would've thought so. However, instead of trying to experience the delights of Eastern Europe, India or Cuba, they opt for yet more beer in County Bondi. The opportunity to share a room with 10 others, work in low-skilled jobs and drink your face off while you're at it seems too much of a temptation for the majority of Irish travellers. I recently met a girl who told me she'd just been in Oz for a year. I asked her about her experience and whether she enjoyed it or not. She said "t'was great" but couldn't list very many things that she did over there that she couldn't have done at home in Ireland. Asking her why she had chosen Australia, she replied that that was where everyone else was going. As it turned out, she had spent three months sleeping under a stairs.
The Celtic Tiger has been financially good for most. The catalysts for investment from the States were low corporation taxes and low wages. Young people have availed of the free third-level education system and are primed for working in the American corporate model. Many companies such as Intel and HP set up manufacturing units here. Low-skilled workers found work easily in the mid-nineties and money was plentiful. However, the IT crash in 2001 hit Ireland hard. Inflation was running at unprecedented levels as a result of all this cash flying about. Our competitiveness was being eroded and many of the big corporations looked towards the East for cheaper wages.
The Irish government did not help the situation by underemphasising and underfunding R & D initiatives. As a result of this inflation, prices have spiralled and few people under thirty years of age can afford to buy a house without enlisting the help of their parents. Wealth has shifted to the older generations in the form of property. Car insurance premiums have become too expensive for males under 30. Public transport is of third world standard. Corruption amongst politicians is rife, as exposed by the countless ongoing tribunals. The health system is a mess; forcing old women to wait for up to 10 hours on trolleys in overcrowded A&E departments. Suicide rates, cancer rates and heart disease rates are among the highest in the world. There seems to be no end to the debasing of the quality of life. Most, if not all, of these problems have been caused by hunger for money.
Nobody is saying, "let's go back to the old days", when unemployment stood at 20%. However, let's take some time out from the gold rush and see how we can improve on the more important things in life.
Published by Colm.
For many people around the world Ireland is an idyllic place. It has its green landscape, the craic and a good naturedness inherent in its natives. But the average man in Ireland until the mid 90s had nothing in monetary comparison to the rich neighbours in the UK and the even richer cousins in the US. And still they were an upbeat lot back then, singing in the pubs and creating more literary works than one had time to read. It made for a great holiday destination for the wealthier peoples around the globe. And so it proved, with the Yanks more than willing to part with dollars on long touring holidays of Eire.
However, this fair land has changed. We "touch base" with clients and fellow managers, we drink skinny lattés at 11 and keep track of our portfolios online. Work hours now extend to late evening. Goals and targets must be met to satisfy the imperialists in the US, otherwise they move operations to India. Stress and stress-related illness are commonplace but you daren't take a sick day for fear a colleague gains the upper hand in the race to the top. And the result? Depression, unhappiness, tiredness and a tendency to reach for the remote control instead of getting physically active. Ireland is an educated and a clever nation being burdened and misshaped by a foreign corporate culture. And all in the space of 20 years. But it's paying off, right? Sure, we're loaded. The bank balance says so. Ireland has gone from the thatched cottage in the 40s to the £1,000,000-plus three-bedroomed semis of the Noughties.
But what about the cultural and spiritual side effect? The Catholic Church is dying. The raping of young people's trust and faith in the institution has turned many away. Church attendance by twenty-somethings on Sunday mornings is virtually non-existent. In its place is the ritual of nursing a hangover from the previous night's over indulgence. Be they good or bad, at least the Catholic Church gave meaning and a tangible tap-in to spirituality. The iconoclastic inclinations of Ireland’s youth are understandable, but there's no plan B. The only thing that seems to get the majority of young people excited is reality TV and sugarcoated music from Kylie Minogue. Most free time is used up in the plastic and trendy bars that are sprouting ubiquitously. Nobody's expecting them to be pouring over Joyce's Ulysses on a Saturday night, but there must be something better to do than down seven pints of beer and five shots of gin, and to later go on and kick somebody's head in when you've been turfed out of Annabel's at 3am.
A huge trend to emerge in the last ten years is that of young people travelling to faraway places. Work for a year or two after college and save enough money to go abroad. Some call it the quarter-life crisis. And where is the number one destination for Irish travellers? Is it somewhere one can learn about cultural diversity and the dynamics of a different country? You would've thought so. However, instead of trying to experience the delights of Eastern Europe, India or Cuba, they opt for yet more beer in County Bondi. The opportunity to share a room with 10 others, work in low-skilled jobs and drink your face off while you're at it seems too much of a temptation for the majority of Irish travellers. I recently met a girl who told me she'd just been in Oz for a year. I asked her about her experience and whether she enjoyed it or not. She said "t'was great" but couldn't list very many things that she did over there that she couldn't have done at home in Ireland. Asking her why she had chosen Australia, she replied that that was where everyone else was going. As it turned out, she had spent three months sleeping under a stairs.
The Celtic Tiger has been financially good for most. The catalysts for investment from the States were low corporation taxes and low wages. Young people have availed of the free third-level education system and are primed for working in the American corporate model. Many companies such as Intel and HP set up manufacturing units here. Low-skilled workers found work easily in the mid-nineties and money was plentiful. However, the IT crash in 2001 hit Ireland hard. Inflation was running at unprecedented levels as a result of all this cash flying about. Our competitiveness was being eroded and many of the big corporations looked towards the East for cheaper wages.
The Irish government did not help the situation by underemphasising and underfunding R & D initiatives. As a result of this inflation, prices have spiralled and few people under thirty years of age can afford to buy a house without enlisting the help of their parents. Wealth has shifted to the older generations in the form of property. Car insurance premiums have become too expensive for males under 30. Public transport is of third world standard. Corruption amongst politicians is rife, as exposed by the countless ongoing tribunals. The health system is a mess; forcing old women to wait for up to 10 hours on trolleys in overcrowded A&E departments. Suicide rates, cancer rates and heart disease rates are among the highest in the world. There seems to be no end to the debasing of the quality of life. Most, if not all, of these problems have been caused by hunger for money.
Nobody is saying, "let's go back to the old days", when unemployment stood at 20%. However, let's take some time out from the gold rush and see how we can improve on the more important things in life.
Published by Colm.
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