Observing people at public places is my hobby and I really try to read mind-sets of people around as they behave and in the process also learn a lot. While travelling; at least for 2-3 times in a month in Delhi Metro which has really changed the way the people of Delhi travel due to its connectivity, I learn a lot as educated persons of various generations & mind-sets travel in it. They converse, confront and react differently on different situations but in most cases all ends well as most are educated.
One day....
“These youngsters won’t listen at all.” ”YEH AAJKAL KE LADHKE KISI KI NAHI SUNTE” A man in 60s was shouting on a boy in mid 20s sitting on the seat. In fact, it happened like this that the person had asked the boy; his ears plugged with wire-phone, to vacate seat for a standing lady and the boy did not respond as he was busy with chatting on cell. When the boy, who seemed coming from a good family background realised the situation, he got up and vacated seat for lady.
In spite of the boy reacting positively to the situation; though late, the old man did not stop and started accusing Gen Y, non-stop for its arrogance at least for at least 5 minutes. May be he had some sore personal experiences with a family member and found this as an opportunity to vent out all. In fact, he sent all present there smiling for his foolishness and the boy stood amazed.
Suddenly another man got up at the defence of boy and shouted at the 1st man “You are wrong. This generation is doing very good, what you and me did was nothing but made only children and the salaries on which we retired are the salaries they are getting at starting. They are innovative, ambitious and doing what we could never even thought of.” He kept on saying all in praise for Gen Y for 10 minutes and the 1st person stood just lame. Metro was at my destination and with smiles, I de-boarded.
Questions remained in my mind and are there in every family in our country. Fact is that our children to whom we have exposed to competitions and big ambitions of Global standards are like shot-arrows aiming for new and higher goals. They would stand with us in thick n thin but may not be in a position to be always with us or respond us as we did to our elders. They are like runners who may respond only to cries but not the usual chirps. Expecting them to react the way we, while just walking, reacted to our elders or situations is foolishness.
This is transformation of a generation who have gone too busy to care for the things we used to care and when we already have spend our fortune on them to make them learn all new; acceptable Globally, then why interrupt or distract them with our outdated local ideas.
This is also a fact that there are lot of changes in behaviour of children due to changed social-economic and working scenario and it would further change as we are just at the starting process of transformation on Global standards. We must accept all that heartedly as there is no U-turn now and even there should not be as we ourselves always loved to grow and see our children doing the good things that we did not do; for whatever reasons.
There would be tremendous changes in future as the 1st lessons of primary studies are changing. It is from “Daily morning touch the feet of your parents as they are like God-figures” to “Don’t forget to wish/send card to your parents on Parents day, as they make you happen”
At present, we are just Mid-way of this transformation process. We must accept all the outcomes; sweet and sour, heartedly. Progress must take its toll, if any.
This post is with Best Wishes to Gen Y - Our future.