By- Gezahegn Mekonnen

What if a single word could bend time, skip centuries, and drop Emperor Tewodros straight into the world of Gen Z? That word is teleported 😂—a concept Gen Z lives by without even thinking about it.

Imagine being instantly transported from the era of Atse Tewodros, a visionary emperor fascinated by innovation and modern tools, to the age of Gen Z—also known as the Kejikaja generation or the Aisho Speed generation. This is a generation that lives online yet shows up offline when it truly matters. I belong to Generation X, but this moment invites all of us to ask: which generation are you from, and how do you show up in the world?

Today, as we mark the birthday of Emperor Tewodros, it’s hard not to wonder how he would fit into our hyper-connected age. Known for his reformist mindset and curiosity about technology in his own time, Tewodros might feel surprisingly at home among Gen Z. After all, this is a generation obsessed with innovation, speed, tools, and impact. While others wait for the future, Gen Z simply teleports into it.

Gen Z didn’t discover technology—it was there from day one. Smartphones have been in their hands since childhood, live streaming is second nature on YouTube and TikTok, and activism—especially for the environment—is part of their identity. A Gen Z activist might plant a tree today, post about it immediately, and organize a movement by tomorrow. They may dig the hole with a shovel, but they’ll still beat the deadline. Multitasking isn’t a skill for them; it’s a lifestyle.

Every generation has its own rhythm, strengths, and contradictions. None is better or worse—just shaped by the times it lives in. From the Lost Generation shaped by World War I, to Baby Boomers inspired by moon landings and music revolutions, to Gen X growing up with personal computers and MTV, to Millennials navigating the rise of the internet—each generation has pushed humanity forward in its own way. Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2012, stands out for its fluency in smartphones, streaming culture, and climate action, while Generation Alpha grows up AI-native and Generation Beta prepares to explore a world of spatial computing and maybe even Mars.

History, then, isn’t frozen in the past. It’s constantly being teleported into the present. From Emperor Tewodros dreaming of progress in the 19th century to Gen Z livestreaming the future today, the tools change—but the human drive to innovate, connect, and change the world remains the same.

Different eras. Different tools.

Same unstoppable urge to move forward 🌍✨