46 replies to this topic

[freetoroam]

Many of the younger generation have far too much of things which do not stimulate their brains and body, eg: the dreaded face book and computer games, They get bored very easily, like youngsters have always done, but the older generation seemed to have an imagination which did not revolve round sitting on games pressing buttons. Youngsters today just do not seem to know how to use their own imagination to create their own games, because they rely so much on what the computer does and tells them to do.
Not being able to think for myself and use my imagination would have drove me crazy and for sure brought out a dark side in me.
When i was a child, we built our own adventure playground and thinking of things to do was not hard.
its a shame that such a useful thing like the internet has also created a lot of useless people.......PLEASE NOTE I do not mean ALL of them......not the ones who post on here anyway, some are quite bright, whether they could cope in a power cut is a different story, but that goes to many adults today too.

Edited by freetoroam, 23 January 2013 - 06:52 PM.

[pallidin]

The younger generation seems, as a whole, much different than when I was growing-up in the 60''s and 70's.

However, I recall my mother saying the same thing about MY generation versus her's. So maybe that's true for ALL generations.

Just an opinion( and also from experience with 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren) I feel the internet, proliferation of cell phones and such has "connected" the current younger generation in powerful ways... absent the maturity of age, which in my opinion is dangerous.

But, just my thoughts and experiences. Surely other's have totally different perspectives on this.

[Taun]

freetoroam, on 23 January 2013 - 06:50 PM, said:

Many of the younger generation have far too much of things which do not stimulate their brains and body, eg: the dreaded face book and computer games, They get bored very easily, like youngsters have always done, but the older generation seemed to have an imagination which did not revolve round sitting on games pressing buttons. Youngsters today just do not seem to know how to use their own imagination to create their own games, because they rely so much on what the computer does and tells them to do.
Not being able to think for myself and use my imagination would have drove me crazy and for sure brought out a dark side in me.
When i was a child, we built our own adventure playground and thinking of things to do was not hard.
its a shame that such a useful thing like the internet has also created a lot of useless people.......PLEASE NOTE I do not mean ALL of them......not the ones who post on here anyway, some are quite bright, whether they could cope in a power cut is a different story, but that goes to many adults today too.

I agree completely on this... I have no kids of my own but my neices and nephews are so lacking in imagination (or at least seem so)... When I was young one of my very favorite toys was a simple cardboard box (very like Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes)... I could visualize it as almost anything... Oh I had other toys... but I enjoyed the box more... My neices and nephews didn't play with things if they were not recognizable toys, or games...

When I read a book - if I enjoy it - it stops being words on the page and it's like a private movie in my mind - that's also a problem because if the book doesn't trigger the 'mental movie' - I have a very difficult time forcing myself to finish the book... my neices and nephews (when they do read) report that it's just words to them - no real mental images...

So I do wonder if this 'graphics rich age' we live in is hurting our kids by restricting their imaginations...

Edited by Taun, 23 January 2013 - 07:30 PM.

[mastodon_2012]

I think the fact that so many in my generation were prescribed strong drugs for adhd and such has probably had an effect on us. Plus our diets which now our mostly junk food and fast food. Also the economy is a big factor in the despair so many feel.

[freetoroam]

Taun, on 23 January 2013 - 07:30 PM, said:

When I read a book - if I enjoy it - it stops being words on the page and it's like a private movie in my mind -

Absolutely, this is so true.
Love my books and the computer can never replace them, even the kindle thing, its good and handy, but I love to see my books in the shelf, they trigger the memories even just seeing the titles.

[Likely Guy]

Frank Merton, on 23 January 2013 - 06:20 PM, said:

They are all dark.  First came the depression, then WWII and Korea, then the Assassinations and the American War in Vietnam, then 9-11.  It never ends.

Hello Frank, while I agree with you I think that it also depends on where your life just happens to fit in the world's time span.

I'm turning fifty this year (born 3 months before the JFK assassination) but I outlived the Cold War. Something that I thought would never happen. Also in the late 80's the economy was pretty good and things were looking up.

Thanks Taun, for starting this thread (one of the better on the forum right now). Thanks also to the younger members who've shared their well expressed perspectives.

Now, get off my lawn!

[Taun]

Likely Guy, on 23 January 2013 - 11:43 PM, said:

Now, get off my lawn!

[EllJay]

Likely Guy, on 23 January 2013 - 11:43 PM, said:

Now, get off my lawn!

Said with a Clint Eastwood-tone-of-voice, I presume.

[Wordless Wanderer]

Einsteinium, on 23 January 2013 - 06:29 PM, said:

It is true that living standards have steadily improved, and it is true that each generation has lived through hard, dark times.

But why is my generation committing suicides at a rate so high some have called it a suicide epidemic? Why are we more depressed, more hopeless, and more pessimistic than prior generations? Can anyone answer these questions?

Unfortunately our generation pays a lot of heed to menial things. They are ready to end their lives at the age of 20, just because their gf/bf left them. They've become over sensitive and they think taking their life is the best way to go. The generation is more depressed, hopeless and pessimistic than prior generations because of the 'supposed' generation gap. We think our line of thought doesn't match our parents, so instead of talking it out with them we bottle everything up and start holding grudges, giving way to pessimism and depression. Most of the people who commit suicide and leave a suicide note always say 'No one understands me', which imho is ridiculous, maybe they didn't try hard to make someone understand. Oh and we also associate ourselves with the 'tragic celebrities', we take inspiration from Cobain, Winehouse and the likes... But that said, there are many many people in our generation who look at the brighter side of life.

[Likely Guy]

Wordless Wanderer, on 24 January 2013 - 05:27 AM, said:

But that said, there are many many people in our generation who look at the brighter side of life.

Malala Yousafzai comes to mind, heck, she's even younger.

[Salami Swami]

i really dont think so man, comparing to what? generation x i assume.

things have gotten alot cheerier in my opinion since early 2000s and the emo outbreak

[Frank Merton]

A suicide is a symptom of depression, unfortunately one that is fatal.

I don't know if depression is more common now than in the past, but it must be viewed as a sort of malfunction, not particularly caused by external factors, but often triggered by them.  It is also something that typically comes and goes, so that for a period the person is depressed and may attempt suicide, while at other times the whole thing seems incomprehensible to them.  One must somehow first get the suicidal person to realize that these feelings will pass.

We need to be sensitive to signs of depression and potential suicide, although, except in ourselves, when we have recognized the signs in someone else, it is damn hard to know what to do.  Just trying to encourage the depressed person, and pointing out the illogicality of the gloom, rarely works and can even make it worse.

Doctors have an armory of medicines that usually but not always help, but it can be very hard to get a depressed person to open up enough to a doctor (or even to see one about it) as they are not aware and don't see things as an objective outsider sees them.  A variety of schools of counseling, known generally as "talk therapy" have also been shown in studies to be helpful, provided the counselor knows what he or she is doing.

[Taun]

A lot of really good comments and insights from you guys thanks!...

I do wonder if a large part of the problem (if it is indeed a real problem) is that parents spend less time with their kids now than in past generations... For example: in my childhood, it was uncommon for both parents to work full time... "Latch key kids" probably existed, but were never heard of... My dad was a soldier, and often had extended periods when he would be away (a couple weeks to a month at a time was not unheard of) but when he wasn't there, mom was... When mom was away - for whatever reason, dad was home... until we three older kids were in our upper teens and could be relied on to "be in charge" for a while... (we never lived near enough to my many aunts and uncles or my grandparents to have them "look in on us")...

Divorces are also ALOT more common today than at any other time in modern history... many more single parents are raising kids today and that has to affect things as well... If a couple kids are a hand full for a pair of parents, how can they not be more of a challenge for a single one?...

Families were much more likely to do things together as a family, family game nights, shared tv movie watching (this was well before DVD's existed and even VCRs were extremely uncommon - cable television wasn't even thought of out side of development labs...)

My family (seven kids! and my parents) had one evening a week when we would all do something together at home - monopoly, story telling, etc, and (usually) one night a month when we would all bundle up in the car and go see a movie - but we always did it together...  I don't see a lot of that today - some yes, but not to the extent of my past experiences... So the youth are "alone" a lot more today (IMO), that leaves a lot more opportunity to have bad experiences that they may not be capable of handling by themselves...

So I think that we older generations are just as culpable for any problems that might exist as the younger generation may be...

Just my observations - I could be totally off base here...

Edited by Taun, 24 January 2013 - 11:48 AM.

[Orcseeker]

Disconnection from the family as Tuan mentioned earlier is, I believe, a great factor. The world is really a sad state of affairs when you look at it from a big perspective. People just have their entire outlook on life clouded by insignificant things. I blame a lot of this on materialism. People put too much value and time into materialstic objects and especially how others perceive them.

They slot themselves into different "groups" and are expected to conform to it. No one can truly be themselves and as a result of that, can't be happy. After all the media and such are telling everyone how to look/act/etc. Essentially playing on the insecurities of people in order to achieve their intended goal, whatever that may be.

I also believe instant gratification plays a big role in this too. For example, uploading a picture to get "likes" in order to get attention, basically being used as a substitute to gain self confidence. Unfortunately this doesn't keep an everlasting effect and requires more and more of the same thing, almost like a drug to the person. Not good for their psyche at all you can imagine. Not to mention the ease of access to a vast array on information on the internet giving a response to stimulus instantly. Anything your groceries to a new car right at your finger tips. Everything in our lives is so readily available.

I remember clubbing was usually done by 21+ year olds, then the 18+ year olds, now... It seems 12 year olds are game. This environment of drinking alcohol, taking drugs and undergoing intimate and sexual contact with others is definitely not something to be encouraged at such an age.

An interesting anecdote... A girl I know, she told me when she spoke to her father about her life he was all uninterested, he spends a lot of time working to provide for the family. Her relationship with her mother is a shaky one, they have had fights and such. She says her mother loves her brother more than her. Interestingly enough, she went underage clubbing a lot, she is also incredibly insecure, wants to be famous, values money a lot more than anyone should, was actually close to some significantly older men in her lifetime (she does live in a part of the world where this is considered a bit more normal however), she's depressed and possibly bipolar, cares what people think about her too much, buys into the marketing and media bs, basically everything I had outlined before. Bottom line is, she's more than often not happy.

My relationship with her is complicated, I haven't seen her for over a year. She always had to go out looking perfect as she said it. One of the occasions I took a photo for her, she wasnt happy with it until about another 5 snaps of her each time she would come up to the camera, zoom right into her face and checking everything was "perfect" until she was satisfied. It's sad.

She is an example of a lot of what is wrong with our youth today. Mainly the underlying problems. I can't do much to help her now, but really it is something people have to learn themselves. Once this whole situation we are in comes to a point where something can be done, I really hope to try and show her the way. If we can take out this twisted perception of reality some youth have of it today like the one I mentioned. I believe a huge difference can be made and have an overall better world for everyone, whether you think it won't make a difference to you or not, it will.

[Frank Merton]

All families have troubles, and almost all kids have periods of serious disaffection from their parents.  Each generation swears it will not make the mistakes their parents made, so, instead, they end up making the mistakes their grandparents made on their parents.

Therefore when this happens to oneself, don't make too much of it; its fairly normal and may even be part of evolution's way of kicking us out of the nest.  One thing -- don't try to force a resolution.  Let some time pass.