THE GENERATION GAP

I am forty years old this year. That means I'm really not a kid any more. My daughter is a teenager. (I really don't know where the time went.) While I try to understand where she's coming from, I really don't understand. I'm too far removed by time. I do remember being young (when dinosaurs ruled the world) but it is a far distant memory. Like other people my age, I've expereinced and seen too much of this world to be able to go back and expereince it through the eyes of someone much younger. Young adults cannot possibly understand my generation, simply because they haven't had the opportunity to experience what we have.

However, to me the younger generation seem to be getting younger and younger. There seems to be more young people out there than ever before. Like any youthful generation, they are looking for change, progress and technology. They absorb these three things like sponges.

We are completely different generations. We grew up in totally different worlds. We had different environments, education, values, history, and other life experiences. I don't really understand this new generation of young adults, just like my father's generation didn't understand mine.

We don't even think alike. Worst of all we often dismiss the other age group solely on how much time the other generation has been on the planet. Age is just a chronological measurement. It does not signify the ability to handle responsibility, to behave in mature matter, nor does it make you smarter.

The older generation thinks of the younger generation as kids. The younger generation see my generation as their parents. We have to get together somehow.

You like fast -- we like to take time to figure things out.

You love technology -- we can't understand what was wrong with the way it was.

What you consider outdated -- we consider "classic".

I'm not saying we should start thinking alike. My generation has experienced too much to change, and the younger generation must find their own way, like we did.

You're not going to learn anything if you start judging people by their age. We can learn so much from each other. Youth shows us to enjoy life, to go out and play, take a chance, and show some enthusiasm. The older generation (for the most part) knows patience, has gathered wisdom, and how to work within their own personal limitations.

All I'm saying is that each generation must listen to the other. We should emulate what the other did right and try to learn from the mistakes made.

Watch. Listen. Learn. You just might be surprised.

Hey, I just realized something, this applies to paintball, too!

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