The worst generation

Over the course of our cultural development, some might take the position that we haven’t evolved as quickly and smoothly as our abilities and talents allow.

At any given slice of time since humans began roaming the earth, it seems that the younger generation tends to discount the ideas and accomplishments of the older generation. It is also apparent that the old folks sometimes look at the youngsters with distrust and dismay.

Some would say that we are continuing to evolve culturally and improve by an infinitesimal amount as each generation passes through the formative years, contributes to society in some small way and then settles in to retirement.

Others would say that the cultural evolution has peaked and that we are now slowly falling in to a cultural abyss. They point to the lessoning morality, increasing reliance on subsistence and a perceived feeling that humans now believe that they should be guaranteed happiness regardless of their individual contribution to the welfare and quality of the cultural entity in which they exist.

Of course, there is some truth to all of these arguments. Some people do make a conscious effort to contribute positively to the culture in which they live while others prefer to live off of others.

However, my supposition is that it is a given that we humans are made up of givers and takers. Just as there is a yin and a yang, there are contributors and takers. These different groups exist at all age levels. To put it succinctly, it’s not a generational thing. It’s just a manifestation of the human condition.

My thought is that the rise and fall of the human condition is not caused by the success or failure of a particular generation, but is a direct result of the positive or negative contributions by all age groups at any instant in time.

When a young person looks at the world, he sees a myriad of possibilities and opportunities. However, he also sees that the world condition is not perfect and is not improving at a rate that is satisfactory to him. This person may tend to blame the older generations for the imperfect world that he observes. His thinking is that if he had more time, he could correct the ills that he sees. The older generation has not corrected these problems, so that older generation must be the cause of the chaos.

However, when an old person looks at the world, he sees the same possibilities and opportunities as the youngster. As he has grown older and attempted to improve the human condition, he can look back on small contributions that he made. Additionally, he sees the myriad of technological and cultural breakthroughs which he can directly link to his generation. He may perceive that the younger generation is not contributing as he remembers that he did when he was coming up through the ranks.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, both generations are looking at each other erroneously. It’s not a generation thing. It’s an age thing. When people are younger, they tend to see the world as place that can be molded to fit their ideal. As they graduate from school and enter the workplace, they quickly realize that they can make a contribution to the world even if only in a small way. However, they eventually learn that they alone cannot change the culture in which they live. They can only make a positive contribution and hope for the best. As they move into retirement, they look back with a feeling of accomplishment as to the positive contribution that they made. They perceive the younger generation as having the advantage of starting their lives at a higher level of human experience.

So, in conclusion, it is my theory that, with each succeeding generation, we are evolving culturally in infinitesimal steps. Each generation contributes, both positively and negatively, to this evolution every day.

Let’s not look at another generation and attempt to give them too much credit or blame for the present human condition. We need to appreciate the contributions of each individual, no matter his age.

But, most importantly, we must concentrate on our individual positive contribution to the human condition. If each individual attempts to contribute to the best of his individual ability, maybe we can speed up this evolutionary process.