Right now, They want to hit it big. Not tomorrow, not next year now.
Eighteen and already dreaming of the steering wheel, of keys jingling in their pockets, of buying a house, making millions, and living the “adult life.” But are they truly ready? Do they even know what it takes?
What we see today is not just ambition; it’s impatience parading as hunger. A generation that wants to arrive before the journey even begins. They’ve been dressed up for adulthood: spending like adults, talking like adults, competing like adults; but stripped of the truths adults must face. They don’t yet understand the silent weight of responsibilities, the fatigue that comes from trying and failing, the lessons that don’t come from Google, but from living.
In this modern race, nobody wants to wait for their time. From the East to the West, it’s the same rhythm “I must blow, I must blow now.” The sun has barely risen, yet they want to bask in the glory of evening. But life is not just morning. Life is a full day sunrise, sweat, sunset, and sometimes, storms.
Social media has become a mirror of fake reflections curated success stories, flashy wins without the backstory. The youth are watching, absorbing, and believing that if it’s not fast, it’s failure. That if they’re not “there” yet, they’re nowhere. So they rush, they push, they gamble not knowing they’re gambling with their peace, their mental health, their foundation.
This is not a condemnation. It is a concern. A cry. A question.
How do we guide a generation that sees process as punishment?
How do we nurture patience in a world that screams speed?
How do we teach them that becoming is not a one-click download, but a journey filled with pauses, bruises, and sometimes, tears?
This is not just a revolution. It’s a rebellion against time. But time is not the enemy. Time is the teacher.
Let’s remind them that it’s okay to start small, to grow slowly, to build depth over display. Because true adulthood is not in owning a car, but in owning character. Not in having a house, but in building a home within yourself.
Let’s bring back the beauty of the process. Let’s teach them that it’s okay to wait. Because when you rush the morning, you just might miss the full glory of the day.
Author Bio:
Bilikis Bidemi Sikiru is a communication expert currently in her final year of Mass Communication at the Federal Polytechnic Offa. She also serves as a correspondent at News Bulletin Nigeria, where she blends journalistic storytelling with her passion for relationship and human development topics.
