I used to never think about my age or ponder about getting old. Now in my early 40s, it’s starting to dawn me that there is actually a whole generation behind me that it is distinctly different from the generation I find myself in. I can certainly never recall having the wisdom or insight into reflecting on what it meant to be part of the generation I grew up in my teens or even 20s or 30s for that matter. Like most people of my generation, I spent a great deal of my younger days exploring and enjoying life and working towards the future whether it was building out my career, living in another country and traveling. And looking back, I would have had it no other way. Thankfully I can look back on my life and be grateful for all the blessings and experiences that has been endowed on me and shaped me into the person I am today.
But there’s also an uneasiness now looking back and realizing that the path I have taken on life to date is not entirely relevant to today’s generation in their 20s and 30s. It feels in an odd way that there is a distinct disconnect between both generations. There’s lot I admire about today’s younger generation, particularly their confidence, self-awareness and belief. However, I often wonder is there anything they admire about our generation or want to learn from us? Or are we just irrelevant? Could it be simply a part of life that newer generations will always look to be different and stand out from the generations ahead of them? Maybe that’s how life works where it continuously looks to build and evolve on what came before, creating the new while discarding the old.
I do question what’s next for my generation, where do we go from here? What relevance and role do we play in a world being shaped by a younger super-connected and always-on younger generation? There has always been tensions between different generations over time — tension that has led to unprecedented and positive change. And I think that’s the key for all of us to embrace that tension. Whether we like it or not, we are all part of the story that shaped today’s younger generations and we can continue to shape it. Rather than stand back and fear it, and even worse criticize it, we can look to learn from it but also challenge and nurture it in a way that is uniquely us as a generation. The result….something hopefully more powerful and richer than any one generation could ever produce on their own.
And yes before you ask, there are lots I admire about the generations ahead of me. I admire their practical approach to life, their sense of humor and especially their unspoken knowledge of what it’s all about.
