The principal difference between my generation and my parents’ generation is the way we interact. My generation is more tolerant of other people’s choices, less concerned about what others think, and more self-confident.
My parents’ generation has stricter standards about what kinds of behavior are acceptable. They sometimes have a hard time accepting the fact that other people may have different ideas about what’s right and wrong. My generation thinks people should have a lot of choices. For example, they can choose whom they want to live with, whether or not to have children, whether or not to practice a particular religion, or what to do for a living.
My parents’ generation is much more concerned about what other people think of them. Many grew up in tightly knit communities where people knew each other’s families. Fitting in meant that you had to act a certain way. Many people in my generation grew up in loosely knit communities, where we only knew our closest neighbors. We didn’t care what the rest of the community thought of us. Also, we were a very rebellious generation and often did things just to shock people.
Wherever we grew up, most of my generation didn’t have to worry about having enough to eat or a roof over our heads. My parents’ generation did. They grew up during the Great Depression, when many people were poor. For this reason, my parents didn’t have time to think about their feelings or inner selves. They were too busy trying to get by. Children of my generation were well taken care of by their parents. We had time to think about ourselves and our place in society. As adults, many of us have continued to be self-confident. We join health clubs to get in shape and get therapy to improve our state of mind.
When I think about our behavior, it seems that my parents’ generation is more fpcused outside themselves and my generation is more focused inward.
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