They say we’re lost. That we scroll too much, dream too big, commit too little. That we drift between jobs, countries, and ideologies without roots or direction.
But they don’t see the code we’re writing beneath the chaos.
Arab youth today are not confused — we’re adapting. We are not disconnected — we’re reprogramming. And we are certainly not lost — we’re navigating a system that was never built for us in the first place.
Let’s be honest. We inherited broken economies, collapsed states, passports that limit movement, and job markets that reward connections over competence. But we also inherited grit. We know how to rewire our lives on a budget. We know how to study, work, and apply for visas all at once. We know how to hope — even when everything says not to.
It’s time to reframe the myths.
Myth #1: “You’re lazy and entitled.”
Truth: We’re burned out — not because we’re lazy, but because we’ve been surviving collapse after collapse.
We’ve watched revolutions rise and fall. We’ve stood in fuel lines, queued at embassies, studied under candlelight. We’ve watched our parents lose everything and still carry their pain. Yet we still show up — to exams, to jobs, to family duties. That’s not entitlement. That’s endurance.
Myth #2: “You don’t know what you want.”
Truth: We know exactly what we want — but the path is full of locked doors.
We want careers with dignity. Passports that don’t trap us. Love without fear. Stability that doesn’t cost our sanity. But between economic collapse, conflict, and corrupt systems, our dreams are forced to detour. Still, we build. We freelance. We code. We create content. We make art. We adapt.
Myth #3: “You’ve lost your roots.”
Truth: We’re building a new kind of belonging — one that holds complexity.
We may live in exile, speak multiple languages, or blend Arab identity with global influence — but that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten where we come from. We carry our grandparents’ recipes in our phones. We launch podcasts about revolution. We tell our truths in art, film, and captions. That’s not forgetting — that’s evolving.
So no, we’re not lost.
We’re multilingual survivors. Dreamers with WiFi. Creators who carry trauma and talent in the same breath.
We’re hacking systems that tried to erase us. We’re rewriting the rules. We’re building bridges between continents and consciousness.
We may not fit into the world as it is —
But maybe that’s because we’re busy building the one we deserve.
