GENERATION GAP — A Ridge to Bridge.

The generation gap is a difference in attitudes between people of different generations, leading to a need for more understanding. It refers to the various thoughts and worldviews held by different generational cohorts. Increased life expectancy, rapid changes in society, and the mobility of social structure are the primary causes of this gap. The nasty outcome is conflict among family members of different generations and misunderstandings.

Dealing with generation gaps can be challenging and inspiring, but they are also gratifying. They foster better understanding and empathy and develop profound relationships between different age groups.

Bridging the gap can lead to growth on both sides, nurturing compassion, trust, and a sense of connection across ages.

The father used to walk thirty minutes to save Rs.30 – The son spends Rs 30 to save thirty minutes . . . Is this a Generation Gap?

Were things lazy and easy, and life comfortable in the past? Did our forefathers lead a relaxed, stress-free, affluent life, gossiping while puffing Hookahs in the courtyard and proving their mammoth fertility by expelling a robust octuple progeny?

Can the present generation even accept or expect such luxury or complacency?

Our children are tongue-in-cheek when they hear us lead a meagre childhood with a different emotional and financial status. They compare these situations in today’s scenario and foster disbelief. It is undeniably not a generation gap but a gap of varied beliefs, traditions, and ideologies.

The generation gap is a broad ridge dividing the two age groups with diverse philosophies. It expediently overlooks and rationally annihilates our forefathers’ principles and sermons.

The truth, however, is that all generations have similar ethics—the expression is somehow different. It is a matter of the youngsters moving forward and the older ones receding into the glorious past.

“Whereas previous generations had to face some unpredictability, current generations are facing unprecedented instability.”

Ironically, each generation imagines itself as more intelligent and rational than the previous one and wiser than the generation following it. There is an ongoing mental tussle between fathers and their sons, each trying to prove their sanity over the other’s insanity. The battle between ego and understanding is so nasty that when children talk, the parents call it ‘talking back’ while children call it ‘explaining.’

The generation gap mostly nurtures a dismaying breach of communiqué. The children don’t take their parents’ opinion or permission for anything— ‘they tell them’. Our parents and grandparents had the audacity and mental egoistic daring to make decisions about our careers and matrimony. This notion has become a farce in recent times.

The fascinating aspect of this generation gap fiasco is the – “Leap of affection”. Why are Grandparents more popular and in love with their grandchildren and vice versa? Why does a generation revolt against its fathers and make friends with grandfathers?

I was extremely close to my late grandfather. I would sit for hours massaging his feet, listening to his wisdom and sermons without questioning or imposing my half-cooked logic. He ordered (not suggested) me to become a doctor and marry a non-medico girl. Sometimes, I wonder how and why I followed his orders unthinkingly. Things might have been different if my father had levied them.

The logic and intricacy of this partiality in which ‘Today’ suffers the brunt and ‘Yesterday’ becomes besotted with ‘Tomorrow’ is complicated. A father has a right to lead his children — still, he must first take lessons to follow. To get the children’s smiles, the father must understand the pain and ache of their tears. He must bridge the past and build an edifice to reach the future. This is critical to avoiding a generation gap and linking the communication gap by understanding others’ perspectives. There has to be an end to the Blame Game.

This is a change of opinion or the metamorphosis of generations – an older person looks and adheres to the past – a middle-aged person survives in the present – while a young person looks at the future. There will be day-long debates and symposia to prove or denounce the integrity and emotional veracity of each generation. Still, the fact remains that the Generation Gap creates more solutions and fewer problems with meaningless discussions.

On the lighter side, my grandfather used to remove his hat to show respect. Today, my son irritably removes his headphones when forced to show respect. There is, however, only one thing wrong with this conduct— many of us no longer belong to this younger generation.

High technology, Wi-Fi, and sci-fi have brought yet another change in social philosophy. Our grandfathers talked of a generation gap that stretched to twenty years or more—now it is five to ten years. My daughter talks to her six-year-old brother, blatantly mentioning a varied ideology—a generation gap.

Past blames the present – “You, Young People, have no sense of culture. You have no respect, no emotions and no depth. Your relationships are frivolous and opportunistic. You talk about your happiness with selfish motives.”

Present laments to the past – “Your culture includes egoism, racism, casteism and religious intolerance – we believe in humanity, love and equality. We believe in facing a little loneliness now rather than a lifetime with the wrong person.”

DADA BHAGWAN said — “Son or daughter are not yours if you want to go to Moksha. If you want to remain in this worldly life, then son and daughter are yours.”

If we could give a gift to the next generation – it would be the capability and courage for each of them to learn to shoot at themselves –as every generation needs regeneration.

………………………………….