Generational Disparity in the 21st Century

The age of modernity has covered a long way, from being ridiculed by the conservative society to being opposed by rural thinking. As it is always said ‘overdoing anything is harmful’, so is the case with modernism. Technological advancements have surely changed the facet of human life to a great extent, yet it also has cursed the humanity. Students are alienated from their families because of having costly technologies at their disposal causing polarization between generations. They only desire the best of gadgets in their hands over bonding with others. If teenagers are ambitious they feel the need to study hard however their extra-curricular time is spent in the company of expensive gadgets. Communication between both, teens and their families is minimal which leads to further complexities.

There are numerous reasons due to which the generational difference has been growing among families and their teenage children. The trend of nuclear families has created an awful situation for the joint family system which more or less is finished. In a joint family system, everyone cares for each other and there are many helping hands for a family as a whole. Children always find their cousins and other close friends by them .It was a conducive family atmosphere and was more or less a boon for joint families. However, the changing social values and economic conditions have given birth to’ brats’.

These children are disrespectful of their elders and outspoken as well, which practically becomes one of the various reasons for rifts between families. The prime focus of such teens is to mint money and enjoy life to the fullest. They never understand the value of time and money unless they experience any bitterness outside their cocoon. The enjoyment and pleasure they experience in this way is naïve as they do not know much about the real world that exists beyond the four walls of their homes. Due to such actions their mental and physical growth gets hampered too, since the brain is empty and an empty brain is always considered the devil’s hide. Hence, they can never do anything constructive. Although, this is not the story of every household, in many homes such cases don’t even occur.

All of these problems do have their respective solutions as well. Communication is the first and most important step to be followed in order to bridge a gap between two generations. This will help them learn that there are grey shades apart from the blacks and whites. There needs to be boundaries of respect among everyone in the family, this is not just for the elders but also applies to the minors and teens too. Parents need to show trust towards their young adults in order to establish a mutual understanding.

Teenagers should try and become friendlier with their family members and vice-versa. Teens should always follow the family values inculcated in them because their behavior, way of talking and body language reflect the kind of family they belong to. There will be situations where parents need to compromise on certain factors in order to give a better future to the following generation, although many a times it isn’t easy. Lastly, it all depends on how both the parties take the matter further, whether towards progression or digression; they need to work hard for it.