It is interesting to me to look at generational differences in attitudes about various things. Views change over time and I am intrigued with the "why" of the changes.
Sometimes it is difficult to draw a line and define where one generation ends and the next begins. We tend to arbitrarily make such definitions based on a particular year. I don't think it is that simple. There is obviously overlap.
My grandparents generation was one that experienced great difficulties such as the Great Depression and World War II. They were born toward the end of, or shortly after World War I. They struggled through hard times yet lived to see men walk on the moon and become increasingly reliant on computers. They were "savers" and they were humble. They knew that status was fragile and could be swept away overnight.
My parents generation was one born into a country going to war. They also knew difficulty, but they were born into an a country that was overcoming the evils of Hitler and fascism but, they also were raising children in a world of danger in what was called the Cold War. Nuclear weapons were new and there was the threat of total annihilation hanging constantly. Prosperity was returning, the economy was shifting dramatically and the industries that rose out of WWII were changing the entire world. They were raising their children during the space race and the sky was no longer the limit.
My generation watched, as children, man walking on the moon. We saw turmoil in the streets in the riots of the 60's. We saw the Vietnam War on television and were troubled by the conflicting emotions and thoughts of it being an "unjust" war. We witnessed Hippies and the rise of an open drug culture. Increasing affluence came with opportunity and success was measured by dollars earned and hours worked and the drive to succeed permeated a large portion of the young college graduates of which there were more than ever in history.
My children face even different attitudes from their peers. In some ways they were born into separate generations that have different values, yet there are similarities. Affluence has become expected, although some see it as something to achieve and others as a given. Technology in the the form of pervasive computers interconnected to each other and to their users is accepted as part of life and necessary. That electronic interconnectedness is rejected on some level by some, but accepted unquestioned by others. They are either raising, or possibly will raise children in a world that values status measured in things and experiences that say look at me, look what I did as evidenced by the "selfie" culture of social media.
There are other "generations" that fall in between those I have outlined. My orientation is based on my own perspective. An example is the "Hippie" generation of the early 60's. Simply because of when I was born, it was after that of my parents yet at a time that blossomed before I was old enough to be a part. I observed, but did not participate.
The thing that intrigues me is in evaluating attitudes toward what is important. Occasionally you see a "pushback" from individuals in each generation. They feel they missed something and so reach back to an earlier time and seem to adapt those values rather than those of their peers. My question is, are we advancing or, are we regressing as a society? I suspect the latter in many ways. I think that as we advance technologically, as we advance in overcoming disease and the problems of feeding the masses, as we advance to handle the crowding and the migration into more and more concentrated population centers, we regress in our ability to establish meaningful relationships with others. The "selfie" generation is, to me, the primary example. It is all about me. Look at me. Look at what I have. Look at what I did. Look at me.
Is it a symptom of a deeper systemic issue? In my opinion the answer is an unequivocal, yes. It is a symptom of too many and too much. We each crave security and recognition. In a world approaching 7.7 Billion people, it becomes harder and harder to stand out from the crowd. In a way that is a good thing because there are predators among us who see those who stand out as a target. In a way it is bad because we each crave the "adoration of others" to fulfill the need for validation -- that we matter -- that we have value.
We need to recognize that our value comes not from the crowd, it comes from within. We are each made in the image of God and each given a special purpose and role to live. We must learn to recognize our reason for existence comes from something much higher than the crowd around us.
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