Have We Lost Our Innocence?

It still baffles me that adults in my life are shocked when I express doubt in America, in democracy, and in human nature. They usually implore me to reconsider, saying the political climate in our country is abnormal, but it is all I have known.
I was in 8th grade when President Trump was elected, and since then the national and global situations have only gotten worse. With mass shootings, racial violence, an environmental crisis, the separation and deportation of immigrant or migrant families, the spread of false information, an attempted coup by domestic terrorists, and a devastating pandemic, how am I supposed to have faith and hope? But more importantly, has our generation, because of these monumental issues, lost our innocence and become desensitized to the daily insanity?
Many of my peers have expressed similar beliefs. One anonymous 12th grader said, “It’s frustrating! I feel powerless as a teen. There is so much going on. What am I supposed to do?… I do feel desensitized to some extent. I mean I was shocked on Wednesday,” referring to the attempted coup on January 6th, “but in a way, I was also not. Like the warning signs were all there.”
A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that of their research group, 68% of Gen Z feel “very or somewhat significantly stressed about our nation’s future.” Another poll found that Gen Z experienced significantly more stress overall than adults when it came to climate change, mass shootings, the separation of immigrant families, high suicide rates, and widespread sexual assault and harassment reports. This high level of stress can lead to desensitization and an impulse to pull away.
With this increased level of stress, how can our generation hold onto its innocence any longer? However, this leads us to our next question: is naivete useful? Or is an awakening, no matter how rude, more beneficial in the long run?
On one hand, the statistics from the American Psychological Association are scary. If we continue to be immersed in distressing news, how can we mentally thrive? Is the old adage, ignorance is bliss, applicable here?
On the other hand, is ignorance worse than stress and lost innocence? How can we face and work against these challenges if we remain ignorant? Can we harness our new-found knowledge and hunger to ask questions and become critical thinkers? The national and global problems can feel overwhelming, but we are not alone in your efforts to fix them. According to a Pew Research Center study, about 70% of Gen Z want an activist government, and they are more progressive than past generations when it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement, gay marriage, climate change, and gender identity. Senior Jena Thorne echoed this statement, saying, “[even though] we are growing up in an incredible amount of trauma, we are also growing up in an era that is inspiring revolutionaries.”
We need to accept our loss of innocence while harnessing our anger and frustration to work towards fixing some of the problems that matter to us. We cannot fix everything at once, but becoming a part of a local organization or even discussing opinions with peers can be beneficial. Of course, mental care is a priority, but if you feel like you are ready to take on some of the challenges, you are not alone.