Gen Z and the Luxury of Now

What a younger generation is teaching us about joy, presence, and art of living fully
By Ada Obiajunwa

A new U.S. study revealed that 63% of Gen Z workers are already dipping into their retirement savings — and the oldest among them is just 28. Forty-two percent used the money to pay off debt, another 25% to cover urgent bills like medical expenses, housing, or car repairs. At first, I thought: reckless. Retirement money at 23? Madness.
But then I looked closer.

May be it’s awareness. Maybe rebellion. Or maybe, just maybe, they’ve cracked something we missed.

Because here’s the thing: while Americans are pulling from 401(k)s, Gen Z everywhere is doing the same thing in spirit — refusing to wait for a mythical “someday” to live.

They’re not dipping into pensions in Nigeria (let’s be honest, most don’t even know where their PFA office is, and the withdrawal rules are tighter than a Nigerian dad guarding the remote during evening news). But they’ll happily spend half their salary on a weekend in Zanzibar, or book a last-minute trip to Ghana — and by Monday? They’ve launched a side hustle to cover the bills.

It’s not recklessness.
It’s audacity.
They do them.

They are bold with their joy.
They don’t hoard experiences for “later.” They don’t delay softness for retirement. They do it now. Loudly. With filters, playlists, and hashtags.

And honestly? I admire it.

My generation was raised on “delay gratification.” Save first, enjoy later. Joy was always in the future: after the promotion, after the house, after the school fees. By the time “later” arrived, our knees were already negotiating with us every morning.

Gen Z is rewriting that script. For them, joy belongs in the now. They book the trip. They light the candle. They eat the small chops first — not after the “high table” has finished their speeches

And maybe they’re right.

Because when I was their age, my generation’s dream was escape. Abroad was the ultimate prize — London, America, anywhere but here. We were raised to believe “making it” meant leaving.

But Gen Z? They flipped the script.
They’ve made Lagos, Accra, Nairobi the places to be. They’ve turned the motherland into main character energy. Lagos — the city we once endured — they see as vibes. Dusty sneakers? Fashion. Street food? Content. Market noise? Background music for TikTok.
And look at Detty December. What started as end-of-year madness in Lagos is now a full-blown cultural export. Parties, concerts, beach raves — a whole season. Ghana has Afro Nation and Chale Wote. Suddenly Accra in December feels like the centre of the world. Nairobi has its own scene. Kampala has NyegeNyege.

Where my generation saw endurance, they see experience. They’ll trek from Yaba to Surulere if it means thrift shopping, suya, and a story to post. They’ve taken the same chaos that gave us headaches and reframed it as adventure.

And then there’s their emotional fluency.
They don’t “manage.” If they’re tired, they rest. If they’re sad, they say it. If they’re happy, they scream it. They live in the present with a confidence I wish I had at their age.

I once asked a staff member to prepare a deck. She sent it on Canva. At the time, I didn’t even know what Canva was. She didn’t know how to use PowerPoint. We were stuck.

The old me might have been frustrated. But instead, I learnt Canva. Because Gen Z has taught me: sometimes the new way is the only way forward.

It reminded me of my dad’s family meetings — six hours long, Lagos to London flight time — ending with, “A word is enough for the wise.” Six hours for one word! Meanwhile, Gen Z would have said it in three TikTok slides with trending audio.

They don’t wait for perfect timing. They don’t hoard words. They say it, live it, and move on.

And maybe that’s their greatest sermon: joy doesn’t wait for retirement. Life is happening now.

Because in the end, what Gen Z is teaching us isn’t recklessness — it’s remembrance.
That life is for the living, not the hoarding.
That softness and presence aren’t luxuries, but survival tools.

And maybe that’s the real luxury silk of their philosophy:
It doesn’t scream.
It flows.
It reminds us that joy, like good fabric, should be worn often — not saved for someday.

And truthfully? Joy isn’t just for Gen Z. It’s for all of us — in the candles we light, the body butter we smooth on, the rooms we fill with WhiffWonders