The 'good' intentions of the deadliest generation in history

A few weeks ago Alba Tarragó He brought a smile to our faces—a slightly sad one, yes—with a piece about our New Year's resolutions. In it, he analyzed the explicit resolutions for 2026 made by a majority of social media users who had decided to openly "put themselves first."

The article reviewed the social decriminalization of narcissism and selfishness, and as is normal and cool explain urbi et orbi —as if this could hold the slightest interest for the rest of us mortals— New Year's resolutions reduced to taking care of yourself, listening to yourself, investing in yourself, dedicating time to yourself, pursuing your dreams —usually unoriginal folly—, getting in shape, improving theskincare daily... And be very wary of publicly proposing to do nothing for the family, the profession, society... because that already sounds as stale as angel hair filling.

These are signs of the times. For some time now, when discussing any achievement—including a misfortune of the other person—people have found a way to quickly connect with their higher self and harp on about any contingency related to their exalted person. It's that "me too" that eluded us as children, but which we were supposed to overcome upon reaching adulthood.

Not anymore: life is too short to listen to others or to take an interest in their problems and concerns. Yet, no one will ever seem more interesting to us than ourselves. The result is a series of overlapping monologues, masquerading as conversations and utterly exhausting. I'm gone...

Narcissism, in its most basic form, has also taken root in our lives. I've often witnessed this while walking down my street, a long, well-planned street stretching from the city center to the outskirts. Not so long ago, it was a "real" street lined with offices, workshops, hardware stores, glaziers... and shops selling clothes, records, motorcycles, furniture... And, practically on the outskirts, a large agricultural machinery dealership with beautiful yellow and red tillers.

Nothing remains. Now the entire route is a grand tribute to the more materialistic and banal aspects of the Olympics: gyms, Zumba or swing dance studios, Zen spaces for yoga, meditation or reflexology, tattoo parlors, dental clinics, hair removal and hair transplant centers, perfumeries and diet... nail salons, naturally: Sweet Nails, Eternal Beauty, Luxus Seda Nails, Silver & Silken Nails... One, as an advertising gimme for customers, displays an eloquent neon sign: "I'm a spoiled bratAs Alba Tarragó says, "We're not doing well."

But let's get back to "good" resolutions. For example, retirement resolutions, a classic and equally symbolic of the times we live in. I often think—a generational thing, I guess—when I hear an educated, mature person recite the string of retirement resolutions: sleep in, not worry about anything, disconnect, do water aerobics, Pilates, Nordic walking, engage in mindless hyperactivity, participate in energy circles, have a social life, enjoy lunches and dinners... And, travel a lot and cheaply. The greatest joy of being retired is indiscriminately producing CO2 emissions at a good price and at any time of year.

The great retirement has arrived boomerAnd knowing us, we won't resign ourselves to a typical, harmless retirement: TV, visiting construction sites, and dominoes. According to experts, we'll live our retirement with a much more "proactive" attitude. In other words, we'll keep baking.

We have been precisely the most destructive generation in the history of humanity, although the spirit Peter Pan It keeps us away from these ugly tribulations. But if we take a step back and look at the indicators from the 70s and 80s—when we debuted in autonomous consumption and uniformly accelerated predation—we will see that the world was infinitely better without us.

I'm sorry, but it's true. From 1990 to 2020, we lost 178 million hectares of forest; since 1950, we have produced 9 billion tons of plastic and recycled only 9%; in 1959, we emitted 15.9 billion tons of CO2, and in 2022, we reached 22.5 billion; the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from 354 ppm (1991) to 413 ppm (2020); in 1950, there were 2.5 billion people, and now there are 8.3 billion, a 230% increase; in 1950, there were 25 million international tourists, and in 2025, there were 1.52 billion; between 1970 and 2020, we lost 73% of vertebrate populations...

And now? De-escalate, stop, review, help correct... Think! We have definitely been the deadliest generation in history, and it seems that, judging by the general retirement resolutions, we intend to remain so until the very end. Neither age nor experience has led us to a change of heart. We grant ourselves indefinite, plenary self-indulgence. Another sign of the times.