Thank God the Young Generations are not like me

I have surprised many people by saying that the young generations, whether millennials, Gen Z, and the rest, give me hope. Many people believe they are not making a meaningful contribution to the world’s progress. When people hear me say, “thank God they are not like me,” they are surprised. On my part, it was part of a protest and a way to express my frustration.

However, I need to provide some background. I’ve spent most of my life trying to help the young people in and outside the education system, and I am very passionate about it. When the pandemic occurred, numerous changes took place, and upon its conclusion, businesses were eager to restart, leading to a remarkable shift. Everybody thought that when it was over, the youth would be applying for jobs and wanting to start a career. And when the news came out that restaurants and businesses couldn’t find staff, everyone was shocked. Some, in frustration, of course, said that the young generation is lazy. That they didn’t want to work.

This really bothered me because I knew there must be more to it. I considered the idea, conducted some research, and wrote an article about it.

First, I thought about the generations that have come before, starting with the Silent Generation. Then came the Baby Boomers, which is my generation. Then came Generation X, followed by Millennials, also known as Generation Y. Next came Generation Z, and now we are in Generation Alpha.

Young people have always played a crucial role, bringing a fresh perspective. And we know from history that it all started with their young Manifestations. Most inventions and ideologies are contributed by the young, and yet humanity still hasn’t learned to appreciate the qualities of youth.

In society, we tend to use the slogan that young people are our future. However, when it comes to practice, we often fail to listen to the young generation. And the excuse is that they are too young. We’ve probably all had the experience of our elders believing that we have nothing to contribute.

I believe that the coronavirus was a wake-up call to humanity. We all started re-evaluating our priorities, including the youth. They had taken so much for granted: going to school, getting a job, having a family, retiring, and travelling. And so life goes on. However, when the pandemic struck, many people suddenly discovered the value of a touch, a hug, or the company of others. Once we could go out again, they began to realize that maybe there was more to life than just money, and perhaps the idea of money had lost its charm a little when it was no longer possible to see loved ones. Maybe they questioned the purpose of work.

Alvin Toffler, in his book The Third Wave, explained that humanity has experienced three waves. The first wave was agriculture.

Life was very simple then. Basically, farmers worked for the lord or the king. Then came industrialization and mass production. Consumption increased, and the banking system emerged. This was the beginning of our whole economic system.

Institutions evolved, and universities emerged; monarchies gave way to democratic governments. Whereas in the agricultural era, humanity used resources as capital or simply lived off the interest of the capital, during industrialization, we began to deplete the capital, and we forgot that resources are not limitless.

For many centuries, we acted as if resources were limitless and everyone was happy to work, often in long hours, to provide for their families and eventually retire.

The young generation rejects this idea. They have seen older generations working and planning for retirement, only to have many of them become sick or die, so they question the point of it all. Perhaps they decide on a part-time job, or they take six months to go travelling and see the world. Or they choose to do some courses in spirituality to enrich their souls.

However, the young generation views the world of work with skepticism and perhaps feels that they would like to work, but not at the expense of their personal time. Maybe they want part-time jobs or to take six months to travel and see the world. Or perhaps they want to take courses in spirituality, morality, or something that enriches their souls.

Returning to Alvin Toffler’s work, we are now in the wave of information. We have squandered our resources, and the next generation has to pay the price. The future is not as bright for them as it was for us. They don’t know where they can get jobs. They don’t know what is in store for them due to the ravages in our environment. Maybe they won’t be able to hop on a plane as easily as we have been doing.

The youth are saying, “Wait a minute. I can’t continue to do what the older generation has done. I don’t want to hurt the environment. I want to protect it for my children.”

They are aware of what is happening in the world because they are constantly exposed to it. They have the tools to explore, make decisions for themselves, be independent, and investigate. That is why I say, “Thank God the young generations are not like me.”

However, I hope that when the new generation comes, the older generation will be more merciful and understanding towards them, and try to encourage and nurture them. For they, too, will be part of the information wave.

And that’s hope; that’s why I say I am happy, because the young generation is so independent, so tender-hearted, and so sensitive to the issues. When we were growing up, many social problems, such as justice and the environment, were not as important; we were too busy pursuing jobs and achieving material success, because that was the dream. The “American dream” after the Second World War was to have all these things, and if you succeeded, you had everything.

However, the young generation now says they’re not so sure that having money and possessions will bring them fulfillment. There are other things they want to explore, and it’s good for them; they have all my support.

So, in the end, I would suggest to anyone to look at the potential of our young people, not their experience at this moment, because in six months, they could be more experienced than you and me; they have that much potential. Look at them as a resource, as a gem, see the gem in them, and see that potential and respect and love them. Hopefully, they will not make the mistakes that my generation made.