Tang Ping (Lying Flat)

Despondency is spreading across youth

Burnout from university and jaded by

A job market that is too competitive

Along with a salary that does not cover the basics

This concoction of difficult circumstances

Is the recipe for apathy and giving up on everything

A trend that has made its rounds across the internet

With some being literal in the protest

By lying flat on the ground and not pursuing a home

Or a family, or any basics we aim to attain in this life

Young people are reflecting the circumstances given to

Them by older generations as experts try to figure out why

As if longer work hours, lower pay, inflation, and no benefits,

Was not enough to discourage people,

Our generation won’t even receive a pension for working hard

That is the reality of the modern world

Lying flat is not just a trend, or protest,

It is the only appropriate response to an unsustainable situation.