Finding Purpose in an Age of Despair

Fear has never built anything worth keeping.

The biggest crisis facing young Americans today is a lack of purpose. They wander through life weighed down by hopelessness, convinced the future isn’t worth fighting for. They can’t afford basic necessities because of rising costs and stagnant wages. They’re told they’ll never have homes. Marriage and kids are, for many, out of the realm of possibilities. And to make it all worse, the climate doomers say they won’t have a future because climate change will suffocate us all.

The emptiness many young people feel today is profound, and originates from multiple sources, but one especially stands out: climate doomerism, the belief humanity is on an unstoppable march toward destruction, has become a defining feature of our generation.

The story told to millions of young people is the planet is dying, the system is rigged, and the future is lost. When that message becomes the moral framework for a generation, what hope is there?

The effects reach beyond social media or politics. Spend a few minutes talking with high school or college students and you’ll hear the despondent strain in their voices. They express fear about bringing children into the world, convinced the next century will be defined by disaster. Others feel anxious about choosing a career, believing their work won’t matter in a world they expect to collapse. Some withdraw from community life entirely, convinced it’s better to shrink their footprint than to live at all. Social media amplifies these feelings. Scroll and you’ll find videos warning of ecological collapse, images of cities under water, and endless leftist talk about the end of civilization.

No action is proposed. The tone is only resignation.

No wonder depression and loneliness are climbing among young people. They’ve been told since childhood their world is broken beyond repair, so they see no point in building anything lasting.

This despair didn’t appear out of nowhere. It was hawked by leaders who found fear easy to sell. Certainly easier than hope. For years, activists and politicians have told young people the clock is ticking toward catastrophe, but that narrative of urgent action has slid into constant doom. Suddenly, personal responsibility didn’t matter, and capitalism and growth became enemies of the planet. These merchants of discontent conditioned an entire generation to distrust innovation, economic progress, and even the idea of human achievement. They’ve been told to sit quietly and brace for impact, rather than stand up to build solutions.

Fear can’t sustain a culture, though.

Without belief in the future, there is no reason to marry, to raise children, or to find and invest in community. Fear has never built anything worth keeping.

There is another story, though, and I’ve seen it play out across the country through the work of the American Conservation Coalition. In Colorado, young leaders spend their weekends repairing trails in the mountains while studying environmental policy during the week. In Florida, volunteers gather to plant mangroves along the coast, restoring a natural barrier against erosion and storm surge. In Texas, my home state, college conservatives push for clean energy innovation and smarter regulation because they see how freedom fuels progress. These young Americans are out building the next chapter of the world instead of just sitting around waiting for it to end. Each project gives them purpose. Each conversation with a neighbor rebuilds a sense of community. Each act of service reminds them that they still have agency to shape the future.

The lesson from their work is clear. A reason for hope exists. I’ve watched college students who once saw climate change as a death sentence come alive again when they realize they can make a difference. I’ve seen young professionals trade cynicism for action when they learn solutions already exist and only need champions to bring them to life. ACC members across the country are proving optimism is contagious. Their advocacy for clean energy reform in Washington, their local conservation efforts, and their commitment to responsible environmental leadership show the future is not lost. Everyone has a purpose. Life is about finding it, then it’s about acting on it. Gen Z wants to have an impact, but when they’re told there is no hope or they’re so mentally occupied with the world’s crises, a life of purpose takes a back seat.

Don’t listen to the liars; the climate isn’t doomed, and neither are we. Our country has faced harder challenges and emerged stronger every time. We can’t build solutions in a culture that has already given up on tomorrow, however. Young Americans need to continue finding purpose. They need a reason to get up each morning, believing they were born for a moment that matters. The work of caring for our planet is just that: work. It demands effort, humility, and hope. It gives life direction.

The loudest voices of fear will always try to convince us our efforts are wasted, but they are wrong, and frankly, they’re just grifters in desperate search of a cheap buck. The future still belongs to builders, dreamers, and doers. It’s time for young people to tune out the sad little whimpering noises, pick up the tools in front of them, and get to work. Purpose doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. It begins when we decide the world is still worth saving.

Stephen Perkins is the chief operating officer at the American Conservation Coalition. Follow him on X @StephenPerkins.