Nonchalance is a state of being that people have participated in for decades, but since the early 2020s, it has become more widespread among fellow Gen Zers. Memes and tips on how to be a nonchalant person have been widely shared, only fanning the flame of unbotheredness further. I can see the appeal of wanting to be mysterious and unbothered, and I would be remiss if I did not mention that sometimes I pretend not to care for the sake of managing anxiety. However, it’s one thing to act nonchalant as a way to ease anxiety, and another to use nonchalance as a means of detaching from your emotions and the world around you. The act of caring for someone or something has been lost in translation among younger generations.
Caring, thoughtfulness and mindfulness are valuable qualities that everyone should strive to have. When you care about something or someone, it can give you a sense of purpose. If society were in a constant state of nonchalance, nothing would ever be fixed. Environmental concerns and social issues are just a few examples of topics people care about because they want to make the world a better place—and that’s beautiful. Connection and belonging thrive on the act of caring, which is why losing sight of it in recent years has been so significant. Unbeknownst to us, our growing disinterest in connecting with one another has contributed to the bleakness of the 2020s. Personally, I love seeing people speak up about the things they are passionate about; it moves me emotionally. It inspires me to continue pursuing my passions and to speak about what I care about, too. The world can become a more beautiful place when the things—and people—we care about are reflected in our actions and words.
In the words of A$AP Rocky, “How you gonna knock somebody in the world for actually trying to do something? Since when has it become cool not to try?” (BET, 2015)