Let them dream.

A steady and continuous decline in their level of happiness since 2006, a plummeting sense of confidence in the future, anxiety issues, loneliness—when we look at the statistics, young people are not doing very well. And now come the figures from the Humanity Index. Those under 30 show the lowest happiness scores, but also, they rate the humanity of their society the lowest and, consequently, their own level of humanity as well.

But how could it be otherwise, with everything they see, read, and hear? Whether it comes from their parents, teachers, networks, leaders, or elected officials, the message is always the same: negative and discouraging.

Through my interactions with young people, I’ve noticed one fundamental thing: they no longer dream. We don’t make them dream—we overwhelm them. Yet isn’t the current state of society and the world the perfect time to dream of a better world, to achieve unprecedented things? It’s not when everything is going well that we dream of changing things, of improving our situation and that of society. On the contrary. And there is so much to do.

But no. We, the killjoys, quickly make them understand that they won’t have the same opportunities we did, that they’ll have to work hard, that they’ll struggle to reach their goals, that obstacles will appear around every corner—in short, that their lives won’t be like ours. But really, why should they care about our lives? Why should our lives be the model for theirs?

Over the past decades, we’ve forgotten a fundamental element: dreaming. Perhaps because we no longer dream, we no longer inspire our young people to dream. What a shame, because there are so many causes, so many battles, so many possibilities in so many fields, and instead of magnifying them, we smother them. Probably because these causes and battles feed our fears—but what frightens us can represent an extraordinary challenge for the younger generation.

The older generations have often long since stopped thinking “outside the box,” but can we let young people dream in turn? Present things not as a fatality, but as an opportunity. Invite them to think differently, rather than confining them to our patterns and conformity.

Let’s encourage them to stir the pot—and let them dream better.