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Guest Column: Bridge generation gap, learn from each other
I sometimes find myself acting just like my brother did around four years back; and, at that time, I had (good-naturedly) scoffed his behaviour(s). He is just four years elder to me, still, we can’t escape the gap in totality. However, efforts to bridge it can lessen the turmoil, if (and usually) present.
Generation gap. Whatever timeline one might belong to, s/he has experienced this phenomenon in one form or the other. Time is bound to bring with it a change of scenario, but now, its speed has increased multifold and a generation gap now sets in within five years, or less. So, people from the older and newer generations find it difficult to connect and/or be on the same page.
I sometimes find myself acting just like my brother did around four years back; and, at that time, I had (good-naturedly) scoffed his behaviour(s). He is just four years elder to me, still, we can’t escape the gap in totality. However, efforts to bridge it can lessen the turmoil, if (and usually) present.
My cousin has created a Whatsapp group, having family members from different generations. Everyone is encouraged to participate and get involved in it. This not only reduces the generation gap but also any relational gap(s). The lovely posts, bonding and mutual admiration therein are precious!
Also, it won’t be an overstatement to say that our elders keep us grounded, while the youngsters keep us refreshed and our joy-de-vivre alive.
When we have the chance of learning from our elders’ mistakes, why not make the most of it? Despite not being perfect, they are our best well-wishers.
For elders, too, it’s important to understand the newer generation from the latter’s perspective. The world is changing rapidly, especially with the many strides technology is making. With constant exposure to social media, bombarding of information, and multitude of distractions at their fingertips, the youth need something more to grab their attention and interest than mere good intentions. They also are likely to develop spotlight effect, thus believing that they are continuously being noticed by others. Add hormonal changes to that; and the teenagers are neither kids nor adults, so they are yet to form an identity as well. They neither have the decision-making powers the adults enjoy, nor the freedom and frolic of childhood. So, it’s undoubtedly difficult for them, too. It’s not to suggest that one keeps forgiving their mistakes repeatedly; rather, it’s to emphasise that any advice/reprimand/rule for them should come from a place of both understanding and concern.
Ultimately, there will always be challenges; after all, as said by the American psychologist Stanley Hall, adolescence is a period of ‘storm and stress’. We have to respect and consider the same.
A word for the youngsters, too; elders crave respect, give them a listening ear and stay regardful. You can always share your own (perhaps differing) thoughts at another time. In any case, to have an amicable lasting connection, thoughts and viewpoints don’t necessarily have to be the same. Let’s respect uniqueness, and let’s respect differences.
A word about generational cycles, too
It won’t be out of place to mention generational cycles here. Generational cycle implies anything and everything that’s passed on by one generation to the next. It can be either something good and desirable, or undesirable. In the context of passed behavioural patterns, for bad cycles, we have to first accept that the particular unhealthy generational cycle exists, before being able to break it. Only after acceptance can the solutions leading to a freedom of choosing healthier ways emerge.
In nutshell, generation gap was always there, and will continue to exist. It’s better to strike a healthy balance and utilise it for positive outcomes, which is possible only by simultaneously accepting that the gap is, at times, stressful and that therein also lies the opportunity for development!
