Existentialism is a philosophical school of thought that deals with human existence, trying to explain the purpose of a human life. Existentialism, like many other schools of thought, is of course only a speculation and something we made up, take what you read here with a pinch of salt ( after all, I don't know any more about life than you do! ) If I were to try to explain existentialism easily, I'm afraid I'll lose out on its intricacies, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Existentialism, at its most fundamental level, says that every person is responsible for defining their own purpose in this world and that we are governed by our free will. Existentialism says that we are not here to 'find purpose', but rather to 'create our reality and purpose'. It sounds simple, but that's because I've tried to break down roughly a few centuries worth of study and philosophical evolution into four sentences. Existentialism originated as a school o...
The phrase 'kids these days', has been used since time immemorial by older generations to express their disappointment in the younger generations. We love to talk about just how different life was 'back in the good old days'. In that regard, you see a huge number of 'only 90s kids will remember...' on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites.
George Orwell had a brilliant quote that went along the lines of this:
There's a neat neologism for this phenomenon, Juvenoia.
The point is, it's an endless cycle. Let's examine this situation. A family is sitting around the breakfast table, all engrossed in their own digital life. It's a common situation nowadays, right? However, in 1907, the Journal of Education deplored, "At a modern family gathering, silent around the fire, each individual has his head buried in his favorite magazine." Let's compare the two:
Are you seeing the parallels yet? It is considerably shocking.
Think about it this way, children, biologically are the future of a species, and by definition, parents are a reproductive success, because they had offspring which carries the species forward. So in the minds of parents, the lifestyle and choices they made in their life were sufficient, and any deviation from that is, alarming.
So why do Juvenoia and generational conflict exist?
At a social level, concerns are exaggerated, mainly because exaggeration is effective at riling up and motivating people towards a cause, much like mainstream news does today. Other times, it's self-centric. It's not so much that the world around you has changed, it's you, yourself who has evolved.
Are there simply more irritating cell phone drivers in the world today? Or is it that you have developed more rights and responsibilities and experiences which expose you to threats that were always there?
Nostalgia plays an important role in this, too. According to many studies, people value things that remind them of past experiences and pivotal moments in life as more prestigious than what's new. Older generations reminisce and admire things from their generations because it provides a sense of ownership, of truly belonging to a certain era.
Juvenoia is natural. However, the nature of it isn't. Around the turn of the 19th century and the dawn of industrialization, young people began receiving pocket money which gave them the liberty to spend it on themselves. The producers of consumer goods realized that they could design these products for the youth. Thus, the creation of the teenager. Around this time, children began to spend more time around other children their age and developed a generational consciousness which molded their individual identities. Now, children weren't just young people waiting to experience life, they were a separate group in society with their own culture.
In this generation, we hear broad criticisms that the mass culture of 'kids these days' is brainless and lacking any substance. Music, for example, is a hotbed for these fine criticisms.
Many times we criticize the similarities in pop music while disregarding the similarities in the purpose of those songs. They're made for the same purpose, so quite obviously, they're going to sound similar.
Art is one more. Contemporary art by many older generations' standards is 'total rubbish and lacking any skill'. One man's art is another man's rubbish. Whatever it may be, language, slang, music, art or culture as a whole, each generation is a reproductive success.
So parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, 'kids these days' may not be all that bad. We're just a manifestation of you.
And as always, thanks for reading.
P.S: Michael Stevens of Vsauce fame did an amazing video called Juvenoia which is where I got inspired to write this blog from, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD0x7ho_IYc
George Orwell had a brilliant quote that went along the lines of this:
 |
| George Orwell (1903-1950), was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. |
The point is, it's an endless cycle. Let's examine this situation. A family is sitting around the breakfast table, all engrossed in their own digital life. It's a common situation nowadays, right? However, in 1907, the Journal of Education deplored, "At a modern family gathering, silent around the fire, each individual has his head buried in his favorite magazine." Let's compare the two:
Are you seeing the parallels yet? It is considerably shocking.
Think about it this way, children, biologically are the future of a species, and by definition, parents are a reproductive success, because they had offspring which carries the species forward. So in the minds of parents, the lifestyle and choices they made in their life were sufficient, and any deviation from that is, alarming.
So why do Juvenoia and generational conflict exist?
At a social level, concerns are exaggerated, mainly because exaggeration is effective at riling up and motivating people towards a cause, much like mainstream news does today. Other times, it's self-centric. It's not so much that the world around you has changed, it's you, yourself who has evolved.
Are there simply more irritating cell phone drivers in the world today? Or is it that you have developed more rights and responsibilities and experiences which expose you to threats that were always there?
Nostalgia plays an important role in this, too. According to many studies, people value things that remind them of past experiences and pivotal moments in life as more prestigious than what's new. Older generations reminisce and admire things from their generations because it provides a sense of ownership, of truly belonging to a certain era.
Juvenoia is natural. However, the nature of it isn't. Around the turn of the 19th century and the dawn of industrialization, young people began receiving pocket money which gave them the liberty to spend it on themselves. The producers of consumer goods realized that they could design these products for the youth. Thus, the creation of the teenager. Around this time, children began to spend more time around other children their age and developed a generational consciousness which molded their individual identities. Now, children weren't just young people waiting to experience life, they were a separate group in society with their own culture.
In this generation, we hear broad criticisms that the mass culture of 'kids these days' is brainless and lacking any substance. Music, for example, is a hotbed for these fine criticisms.
Many times we criticize the similarities in pop music while disregarding the similarities in the purpose of those songs. They're made for the same purpose, so quite obviously, they're going to sound similar.
Art is one more. Contemporary art by many older generations' standards is 'total rubbish and lacking any skill'. One man's art is another man's rubbish. Whatever it may be, language, slang, music, art or culture as a whole, each generation is a reproductive success.
So parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, 'kids these days' may not be all that bad. We're just a manifestation of you.
And as always, thanks for reading.
P.S: Michael Stevens of Vsauce fame did an amazing video called Juvenoia which is where I got inspired to write this blog from, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD0x7ho_IYc
I have always gotten into trouble with my previous generation for saying "Kids these days are so much smarter than us..." I remember the specific instance of myself giving directions to my cousin, sis-in-law & 2 nephews to a restaurant in Manhattan they wanted to go for dinner. I confidently grabbed the printed copy of the Manhattan map from the information-stand by the reception of my hotel and started showing directions. My youngest nephew pulls out his Android phone and tells me to "C'mon!!! Get modern Chaachooo...". I realized the sharpness these kids possess compared to us. And all of this while I boasted about my brilliant software development skills....
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