"It is the fate of every generation to live in a world under conditions it has not created itself." (John F. Kennedy)
Which conflicts do exist between generations? Which chances does the living together of different generations offer?
Hermann Hausmann - 24.02.2019 @ 10:20
Generations
by Hannah Beitz, BG-BRG Kufstein/Austria
What are the conflicts between the generations?
In our world the coexistence of different generations, young and old, is an everyday occurence and has worked more or less throughout history. Of course, that does not mean that living together does not cause any problems. There are certainly some that can come up and these should be solved as well as possible. Everyone has to cooperate and consider each other’s needs, otherwise living together would be difficult. For instance, the different views and opinions on modern technologies can be a big problem between the young and old. For younger people it is natural to know how to use various technical devices, such as computers, mobile phones ect., or how the Internet and Social Media generally work. Older people, on the other hand, often lack these abilities but have lifetime experiences and usually a better general knowledge.
What opportunities does the coexistence of generations offer?
If we don’t let the differences separate the generations, then the experience and wisdom of the older generation and the technical affinity and ambition of the younger generation would be a great learning possibility for both sides. Both could learn a lot from each other, but have to show patience and interest for the other party. Sadly, that does not always happen and an invisible wall keeps society apart.
Amaury Mammet - 22.03.2019 @ 18:40
I think the problem people from a different age often have is that they have a completely different view on the things happening. For example for a grandmother it is difficult to understand her grandson's opinions and his view on everything because she grew up in a different period of time, some decades before. But there are also some positive things about the living together of different generations: We can learn from each other and expierence new possibilities of how to see the world. But this could only work if both sides, old and young, admit to understanding the other person.
Hannah Daxer - 17.05.2019 @ 10:11
Hey Hannah and Amaury!
Thank you for this great article. I found it very clear and all necessary points were named. In my opinion, the most fascinating thing about the "conflict" between older and younger generations is how society plays an enormous role in it. The evolution of society, especially in modern days, happens so rapidly that even generation y/z'ers seem to have trouble with it.
Mostly, the internet allows changes to happen so fast, because it makes it possible to access different views, morals, attitudes from all over the world. Plainly spoken, one could probably say that elders are very rich in their own experiences and wise through their own actions, whereas younger people gain a lot of their wisdom through observing other people's experiences and activities through public videos, social media, blogs, TV-series and a lot more. To put it in other words, elders may have difficulties with comprehending the great curiousity the younger generations have about understanding the world as a whole, with all its cultures, languages, religions, identities, etc.
Nazli Yüksek - 25.05.2019 @ 21:13
I like the fact that older people want to remove barriers between them and the younger generation. As an example I can mention that the previous generation join courses to help them lern about new technologies. They do this in order to have better contact with their children or even grandchildren. They can contact their friends and meet new people. Very often there are also young people, who introduce older people to the world of new technologies. This strengthens the bond between them and makes the contacts between them better.
Jakub Stanek - 16.06.2019 @ 19:24
Hello!
Humankind has experienced conflicts between the generations from its beginning, because the older generation is considered to be sophisticated while the younger isn’t. Also views and opinions on different issues might be different as you said. Younger people have many ideas and want to do things in completely new and creative manners while older prefer to follow the ways they know and which can be controlled by them. All that factors can influence communication and cooperation between them. We probably know it from our experience, but we can also find it in literature. For example in “Tango” by Sławomir Mrożek we find out that all three generations cannot agree with each other. Actually views of each age group are deliberately changed to the others’, but it does not matter for our topic, because we can still observe a generation gap.
However it does not has to be so. J.F. Kennedy said: "It is the fate of every generation to live in a world under conditions it has not created itself". We cannot change the fate, so we should deal with it and try make our best of this situation. For example my a bit older friend runs a company with his grandfather. My friend suggests ideas, researches the market and gives advice to his grandfather who cares about the rest, because he has more knowledge and experience. They do very well and their company is rapidly developing. As Hannah said: “We can learn from each other and experience new possibilities of how to see the world”- that’s completely true! Nazli, it’s also true what you said: “(...) elders may have difficulties with comprehending the great curiosity the younger generations have about understanding the world as a whole (...)”, however elders do not have to understand young people (and conversely), but young people should respect elders and their views on the world, because they have lived longer and have more experience.
Damian Stępak - 16.06.2019 @ 23:45
Hi Amaury!
We really enjoyed reading your article and since we both are affected by the technical age, we understand its difficulties. Let's take as an example the book "Tango" by Sławomir Mrożek. The protagonist, Arthur, wants to change the values and rules of his society, the society his parents built. And there we have a typical conflict between generations.
At that point we agree with you, Damian: Older generations like the generation of the builders have achieved so much and have a lot of experience. However, younger generations like generation Z have the advantage of technology and the benefit of its use. The gap between generations is not only unprofitable but also destructive in a way of living together in harmony. The only way out of this torn situation is to learn from each other. But, technology is way too fast for older generations and their great life experience cannot be forced on younger generations. So, there is no real solution of this problem.
Felicia Roos - 03.10.2019 @ 14:09