In an era of rapid and continuous change, the line between what we need and what we desire is becoming increasingly blurred. “I tried until the end, I’m sorry: I am crying and these are tears of joy. It was the best day of my life”, said the young Olympic swimmer Benedetta Pilato in a recent interview after missing the bronze medal by a fraction of a milli-second at the Paris Olympics. Journalists and members of the audience were puzzled; she lost, yet she was happy. Why? “Everyone has their own pace and, above all, finds joy in what they choose”, she added with a smile. This statement invites us to reflect on what young people truly want today and how their relationship with work and life is evolving.

The current performance-driven culture often imposes unsustainable rhythms and goals. The pressure to excel in every aspect of life can lead to stress and burnout, as highlighted in Byung-Chul Han’s essay The Burnout Society. This phenomenon is particularly evident among young people, who navigate high expectations while striving for personal balance.

Remote work and the evolution of career concepts have significantly changed how young people view work. It is no longer just about salary but about personal fulfillment and balancing private and professional life. The pandemic accelerated this transformation, leading many to reassess their priorities and seek more flexible and rewarding work modalities.

The pursuit of material goods has given way to the pursuit of meaningful experiences. Young people, compared to previous generations, prefer to invest in travel, cultural events, and activities that enrich their emotional and social lives. This shift in priorities reflects a greater awareness of personal values and a search for authenticity, especially in everyday experiences. Environmental awareness and sustainability have become priorities for many young people, guiding their consumption choices by ethical values and a desire to have a positive impact on the planet. This translates into greater attention to the origin of products, their sustainability, and corporate social responsibility.

Moreover, technology plays a fundamental role in shaping cultural experiences and cognitive processes. Artificial intelligence and service personalization offer new opportunities but also raise significant questions about the balance between efficiency and humanity. Young people are particularly sensitive to these dynamics, posing questions and raising doubts that we often struggle to find answers to.

What does all this mean for work and education? The response from the older generation could be direct and sharp: success demands sweat. A cozy working environment has never aligned with great success. However, responding in this way would evade the real issue. Perhaps, the true topic is not what we can teach the younger generation but rather the reverse: what can we (Boomers and Generation X) learn from them?

One can compete to win a gold medal, but one can also compete for other reasons and satisfactions—not necessarily quantifiable or expressible with established parameters. Reducing life to a binary option of win vs. lose can be risky. Leaving the door open to other possibilities could be more interesting and could lead us toward unexpected destinations.

It is clear that there is great value in success, in accomplishing the impossible. But there is also value in defeat, in being able to process undesired results. After all, in all philosophical and spiritual texts, we are always reminded that the greatest victory is over oneself.

As we work alongside the younger generation—in whatever capacity—we might ask ourselves whether we are truly seeing their actions for what they are, or whether we are merely interpreting them through the lens of our own expectations and values. Are we mistaking their search for balance and authenticity as a lack of commitment or inconsistency? Perhaps the contradiction lies not in what they do versus what they say, but in our inability to fully understand the new paradigms they are creating. By shifting our perspective, we may find that their approach is not a contradiction but an evolution.

Ultimately, what young people truly need is not necessarily what the performance-driven society imposes on them. They seek balance between
work and private life, authentic experiences, sustainability, and services that respect their humanity. Understanding these needs is essential to building a society that truly responds to their desires and needs—a society from which we can all greatly benefit.

At the crossroads of what we desire and what we do lies the true essence of our contradictions. As the old saying goes, ‘No pain, no gain’, yet today’s generation seeks to redefine what success truly means, challenging the notion that relentless sacrifice is the only path. Plato once said that the goal of philosophy is to learn how to die, but could it be that in embracing these contradictions, we are also learning how to live—measuring success not by what we give up, but by what we gain in balance and fulfillment?