Most of the time people take stability for granted, but what does the word “stability” mean? Well, for us, Venezuelans, it does not have a meaning yet. We live in a country that is constantly changing the way we live, and not for good. 

Currently, for young people, this can be shaking. We constantly hear about the good old days our parents lived, but as they have noticed already, those are far and blurry memories that are not even close to coming back soon. We live in constant uncertainty: are we going to have access to a decent university? We don’t know. Will we need to leave school to get a job? It is very possible. Will our loved ones leave us for a better future? It is happening already. And these are just a few situations within an ocean full of calamities. 

We owe this situation to the government, of course, but this is something that has been happening for a long time, and there is no sight of the revolution we all have been waiting for patiently and hopelessly. Our economy betrays us and our society is corrupted. While some are living a life full of unfair luxuries, others are eating from the garbage. Our basic human rights have been forbidden and we have no voice. How are we supposed to look for a better future if we don’t even know if we are going to survive the next week? Well, that is hard to explain because we really don’t know. What are we supposed to do right now? We have no clue, just hoping for the best result. We can’t take care of our community if we are not capable of taking care of ourselves and our families, which makes this situation even sadder and more frustrating. 

Trying to live a relatively normal life in Venezuela is complicated. Despite everything, younger people just want to enjoy this stage of life. It is painful to see that most of these years are gone, but have not been enjoyed thanks to difficulties and circumstances like these. Instead of making memories that are worth remembering and treasuring, most of the Venezuelan youth are going to remember this part of their life with a looming darkness. 

Regardless, it would be good to look deeper and ask, what do we young people want? It is very simple. We want a future, a house, money, love, a career, and a lot more of the common things that people in other cultures may be taking for granted nowadays. But Venezuelans are resilient. We don’t give up, and we keep going. Studying and working are the only two ways to get through a situation like this, so if we have to go to an abandoned university to get classes, or have to migrate just to look for better opportunities, or maybe get in a fight with government forces just to be heard, we will do it. What this situation has brought us, more than suffering, is motivation and purpose. The odds may not be in our favor, but we don´t need them to survive. Someday, this will be a lesson, and we will teach it to younger generations to avoid this from happening again.