It is the nature of nature that it changes and evolves. From the very tiny things to the most gigantic ones, all go through a process of change. In some of the things these changes are quite speedy and can be observed evidently, while in others they are slow and cannot be observed clearly. Same is the case with the human beings. They keep on changing from their birth till their death. A human is born a baby while he dies an old man; while throughout this journey he goes through different phases. This change is very natural and there is no possibility to stop this change. However, the change mentioned above is just physical while psychologically as well they go through various alterations. Their way of thinking, their outlook and their tastes keep on varying with the increasing age.
In order to observe the changes within human beings, it would be better to observe the changes within two consecutive generations. A new generation differs from an older one in so many ways. Attitude, behavior, outlook, habits and considerations all of these differ. It is debatable whether a new generation is better from an older one or not but it is not arguable that it is dissimilar. So as to understand this concept a simple analysis of distinctions between us and our forefathers can be carried out. Our forefathers were not mostly educated but today a large number of our youngsters are educated. They think differently, eat differently and even dress differently.
Moreover, it can be observed that the changes that take place in human societies have become very frequent and speedy. The daily growth in different fields of knowledge and education has revolutionized human societies and cultures. Add to this growth the advancement in technology and persistent addition in the list of different inventions. In short, both the material culture and non-material culture seem in a hurry to make advancements.
Though these disparities among two consecutive generations are natural, the question is, “Are they positive?” and “Can such changes be considered advancement?” This is the demand of evolution that there must be changes, but it is not necessary that they are always positive. Sometimes the changes are very much healthy for the society and can have positive influence but at some other times they may bring harm to society in some way or the other. Nonetheless, the nature of these changes should be analyzed as per their capacity to fulfill the challenges of the era and their capacity to solve the problems prevailing around, not to multiply them.
A notable issue that rises with the disparities between the two generations is “Generation Gap”. Generation gap, as hinted above, means the differences between two consecutive generations. Though generation gap within itself is not an issue but it becomes one when it starts creating misunderstandings between parents and children. Sometimes they become so strong that they result in the disintegration of families and a series of emotional sufferings. Parents, who nourish their children for years, at some point of life become strangers for their children and sometimes children consider their parents as their enemies instead of guardians and caretakers. Therefore, in such cases, the gap keeps on widening and the parents and children keep on moving away from each other.
The important thing at such a point is to understand the basic theory of life and that is, “things change”. Everybody needs to understand this basic philosophy of life. Though it seems very simple to understand, it is the most difficult to adjust to. People agree and accept this phenomenon theoretically but practically they never adopt it and that is where the problem arises. Parents need to understand that their children and their way of thinking and behaving will definitely be different. That is bound to happen. Children cannot be similar to their parents. Unfortunately, most of the parents want that their children to be their carbon copy. They abhor the differences in them and keep on giving their own examples and the examples of their own times and in most of the cases these examples are obsolete and they are no more applicable in a different society. When the children do not do what the parents expect, which are basically unnatural the parents are frustrated and gap starts getting wider.
It is not necessary that all the changes that are there in generation should be accepted by the parents as some of them may be very much awkward and even alien. With the penetration of globalization in the different cultures, it is not difficult to find many aspects of the life in the new generation quite unfit for their society.
Such aspects should be dealt with mastery. It is not to say that all the parents should be sociologists but they can be wise and for wisdom there is no need of great deal of education but experience is what counts the most.
Children, when become young, are full of energy and they are easily influenced by the changes as they are in their learning process and more open to the social changes. They, in certain cases, get carried away by the tides of changes and when they become conscious they find themselves nowhere. Then the time to mend has already passed and they have no way to return; therefore, the parents need to understand them and help them get to a better destination. Parents cannot stop changes; all they can do is to guide the changes properly and channel them towards positivity.
Two consecutive generations may always differ from each other in attitude, behavior and thinking but they can always have emotional attachment and can have a sense of respect for one another. There can be affection between them, but for emotions and affection to tie them tightly it is necessary that they have to rise above the differences in cloths, thinking and tastes. They have to raise their humanity a level higher and start perceiving each other on the basis of their beings not the different manifestations of their beings.