The younger generation essentially lives in an era of technological advancement, where everything becomes more easily accessible. When it comes to the necessities of life, these are obtained more easily compared to those of the previous generations. Similarly, in terms of knowledge, they can easily find it through technology, commonly known as the internet.
With the ease of information access, it is expected that the younger generation will be more intelligent, wiser, and more successful compared to the previous generations. However, ironically, this has become a boomerang for them. Many young individuals experience dropping out of school, loss of interest in learning, and a tendency to strive for quick success, inspired by idols they encounter on social media. Yet, not everything seen on social media is true.
Although they are aware that success is not easily achieved, they are still reluctant to make the effort. This tendency arises from the desire to appear successful quickly, while true success and the appearance of success are significantly different.
Many of the current younger generation, when reading success stories, are more fascinated by the outer appearance of successful individuals rather than admiring the values and efforts behind that success. For example, when reading the success story of Mark Zuckerberg creating Facebook and dropping out of college, what the younger generation imitates is dropping out of school, not the hard work behind that success. I refer to this as a mistake in emulating successful individuals. What should be emulated is their hard work, sometimes sacrificing sleep to achieve success. This mistake is very dangerous.
When they see wealthy people using luxurious phones like iPhones, what they imitate is not success but the gadgets they use. This applies to all fields, from clothing to mindset.
If this behavior is allowed to continue, it can lead to criminal actions such as theft, corruption, and even harming others' lives to satisfy their desires. They are only trying to impress their peers with this false appearance. Therefore, the younger generation needs guidance, support, and motivation to avoid easily falling into such behavior.
Islam does not teach such things. Islamic teachings emphasize always putting in effort to achieve success. There is a famous saying, "Man thalabal ula saahiral layaali," which means: whoever wants to achieve success (high position) must work hard and sincerely, even if it means reducing sleep time. Hopefully, the current younger generation can return to emulating successful individuals correctly.
