Old generation vs new generation

When I look at my parents' generation I see a group of people who are very determined and individualistic. These are the people who survived the banking crash, the Great Depression and who Went to War both at home and abroad to defeat the Axis Powers of Germany, Japan and Italy. They made sacrifices for their country and lived through a horrific economic depression.  These are the savers, the thrifty, and the victors.Their...

When I look at my parents' generation I see a group of people who are very determined and individualistic. These are the people who survived the banking crash, the Great Depression and who Went to War both at home and abroad to defeat the Axis Powers of Germany, Japan and Italy. They made sacrifices for their country and lived through a horrific economic depression.  These are the savers, the thrifty, and the victors. Their values are different in that they are "old school" as my 14 year-old likes to tell me. They care about family values, morality, and dislike open sexuality as it is currently made available on most television shows.  (There are some very progressive older people who don't care about the morality and are glad for the changes that have come over time).  My parents' generation is far more religious than my generation or the one coming after me.  The older generation clings to power at times far longer than is prudent, and this creates difficulty for their caregivers as they age. The greatest generation is getting older, and it is hard for them to accept the need  for help in their golden years.  They don't take charity well.

They took pride in our nation's putting a man on the moon (they did it), but they have difficulty with the convenience of modern technology in the form of computers, GPS, cell phones, etc...  I think that the older generation values privacy, and avoids plastering all of their personal information and family news all over the Internet.  Basically they don't trust all of this new-fangled technology.  It is too easy and does not require enough work.  Some even view it as dangerous.

In many ways the older generation had a better education than the current generation coming up. Schooling and learning were seen as a way up and out of poverty. Parents encouraged youngsters to do their best in school and made time for homework and study (after chores working in the fields or helping out in the family business). Because of the Depression, many of these older generation did not get to finish their schooling, so their educational opportunities were cut short due to economic problems. Education to them is a prize. My Aunt finished her GED after she was 50 years old, I remember us doing homework together at the kitchen table when I was staying with her for a time.  She said she now had an excuse to go back to school because I could help her with her homework.

The older generation faced the racial equality and women's equality issues in the 1960s. Times were changing and one thing that was a real issue for my parents was which side of the racial issue we would be on. I recall my father spending hours reading his devotional material and folding his  hands in prayer.  His workmen (2 black individuals) at times waited on our back porch until he came out of the house to go to work.  They had served in the Army together and remained friends after WWII ended.  It was bitterly cold one morning, and they remained on the porch rather than knocking on the door to come in.  At that point, something in my father snapped.  He said, "come in this house and get out of the cold!"  They came in and just stood inside the doorway.  He brought them to the table and had my mom set two more places.  That was when I learned about equality between the races.  My parents' generation had some tough personal issues to face, and each one faced it in his or her own way.

BY Naffisa Shaikh

Std:S.Y.B.Com Div:A

Roll No: 60