Gen X: Living life in the fast lane?

Fast cars, lots of ready moolah and a desire to live the good life are driving the young to live dangerously on the edge.

The murder of 16-year-old Adnan Patrawala has shocked the country and has once again triggered off questions about the lifestyles of youngsters, especially in big cities. Adnan, the son of a Mumbai-based businessman, was apparently fond of fast cars and big brands and loved to splurge money on his friends. Sadly, these very desires led him to a tragic death: Adnan was killed on Saturday night in a Skoda by his so-called ‘friends’ – young boys from similarly affluent backgrounds- for money.

Adnan’s untimely and rather macabre death may have shocked the nation, but brings to mind similar incidents involving the young living on the edge. Remember the BMW case in Delhi where six people were mowed down by a speeding youngster? Or the case of Borivili murders by teenagers who wanted money for drugs and dance bars? Or for that matter, the rising instances of drug and sexual abuse in BPOs that have been labelled as ‘hotbeds of sin’?

For experts, what’s even more disturbing is the fact that these youngsters show no signs of remorse about their acts and there are no limits to driving in the fast lane. “TV, media and everything else is to blame equally. Children are driving even before 16. Sometimes parents get them the license, sometimes they manage on their own. I know of a child who said he could manage his own license and didn’t need his ‘full of ideals’ dad to preach. He was stealing from his mother’s cupboard and had the money to bribe the officials. License authorities should realise what they are doing to such kids,” says Dr. Aruna Broota, clinical psychologist.

Not just authorities, but society and particularly parents need to realize just what they are doing to kids. According to Dr. Broota, “Parents’ fault is that they don’t stay in touch with the child more often. They don’t bother to meet the teachers and interact with them about the child’s behaviour and studies. As a child who is into negative things can’t be doing well in school either.”

“The problem is that children think ‘I’m old enough to take care of myself”, she adds. But are they really? Experts have slammed the rising popularity of social networking sites saying that it leads to loneliness and makes kids more susceptible to abuse. “This 16 year old was chatting with a 28 year old. What for? Are we so lonely that we need social networking societies? I think our society is surely becoming more lonely and sick by the day,” says Dr. Broota.

Sadly, experts feel that youngsters are considering the Internet as a cure to their loneliness, and money the answer to all problems. And what’s even more alarming is the fact that this fast growing phenomenon is not restricted to the big cities. The ubiquitous cyber cafes and the rapidly spreading mobile networks have made smaller cities very much a part of the ever growing ‘global village’, where Gucci shoes or a Blackberry are finding their place in social lexicons. The fallout of this change is even grimmer.

Another disturbing phenomenon, according to experts, is the lack of positive role-models or even scarier: the so-called ‘youth icons’ of today. It would not be wrong to ask here: Are Indian youngsters going the Paris Hilton or Britney Spears way? Ask Dr Aruna and she says, “Youngsters have to understand that it is not a part of the celebrity package, it’s a psychological problem.”

“Every kid is gifted with something special called a ‘Special Ability Factor’. In such cases these abilities often are not explored or positively utilized. When it comes to celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears their special abilities get reflected in their movies, songs, or serials ...but with such troubled kids there is no outlet for their abilities, which creates a worse scenario,” says Dr. Broota.

While we continue to debate what troubles the youth of today, it’s time to take young Adnan’s death as a wake-up call and realise that the problem, and the solution lies within each of us. Else, who knows how many more young lives are snuffed out before it’s too late.

radhika.das@indiatimes.co.in
deepti.malhotra@indiatimes.co.in

Source: Indiatimes Lifestyle