Our decision-making has been motivated by a variety of factors across the generations. From our ancestors to our parents to us, each generation has a slightly different perspective on how to approach the world. It is what divides the generations, perpetually defined by the use of “you just don’t get it”.
And they shouldn’t. Because every generation has lived for unique circumstances.
As irritating as that phrase can be, it expresses a harsh reality.
Three distinct perspectives have spanned the past three generations:
Survival
Standard
Quality
This may not hit true for each and every person, but for me – with family that relocated to a different country to start a new life, these seem pretty accurate.
But even if this isn’t where you’re at now, a generation in your family had to endure these cycles at some point.
Born in the 1920s and 1930s, my grandparents immigrated to Australia in the 1950s. They did whatever they could to earn an income in order to provide food and shelter for their families. No matter how good or bad the day was, the point was to survive until the next day.
My parents, born in the 60’s had a shift in focus. They had the survival foundation. So the goal here was to improve the standard of this foundation. More consistent quantity of foods, larger homes, higher paying jobs. Creating a more comfortable environment for their families. Still, the primary focus here is work and making sure there’s an income to match and maintain the standard.
Born in the 1990s, I consider myself to have been part of a transitional generation that incorporates both standard and quality. People born in the twenty-first century represent the quality viewpoint more aggressively that I do, which emphasises choice Our parents have established the ideal standard for us to put deeper thought and meaningful quality into. More conscious choices about food, sustainable living conditions – what we fill our homes with, jobs that we want to do – that have impact.
At the end of the day, we’re all trying to do the best we can, but we build upon the effort of previous generations. If we were still struggling to put food on the table, then we haven’t done what humans do best – be efficient – problem solve.
I think these generational transitions are only recent. I’m sure there have been mini-cycles like this in history for wealthier countries, but with a society more coherent about standards, today these gaps seem more concrete and defined.
Nevertheless, this perspective helps us empathise with previous generations. There were fewer choices than today. Less access to affordable education. Less global connections. But with so much choice today, where does it go? What does the coming generation appear to be?
It’s difficult to imagine, because they’re kind of being born now. And we’ll only find out when they know what world needs to be moulded.
I mean, choice is the ultimate freedom, right? How can it become more than that?
I believe that the current generation is very experimental. Where our choices are not entirely confident or grounded, I believe the next batch of kids will build around this. They’ll know what they want, and they’ll make sure they get it. We’re already seeing it. Things are available yesterday. If we want something, we can get it affordably. Not only is the next generation defining choice, they’re all about demand. I want this now. And when you get to choose, I believe we've got a mixed generation around the corner.
Choosing to live like a bygone era, or to push the boundaries of modern activities.
However, this level of demand for what we want cannot be sustained. To take, we've got to give. A generation defined by choice and the freedom to create the lives they desire will collapse. As with many large things that have autonomy, control needs to be implemented so it doesn’t crumble.
I believe we’re ultimately in for a shock. Turning back to square one - survival.
It’s a hard thought to fathom, and by no means wish for it, but I can see it. We're getting comfortable – very comfortable. Sickness and disease is on an exponential rise, and we take a lot for granted. We're exerting extreme pressure on our society and global infrastructure. In other words, pushing it hard and fast. It can hold this tension for a bit, but nothing can sustain that pace forever. We all know that hard and fast leads to burnout, and what that looks like on a global scale… is anyones best guess.
Is there anything we could do about that scenario?
I don’t believe so.
How does one avoid a tsunami? We can issue as many warnings as we wish; many will listen, many won’t. But there’s nothing in our power to stop it. You observe it forming in the distance, beginning small and innocuous, and it eventually strikes with force, speed, and insufficient warning for what is to be left behind.
So if we’re witnessing a tsunami, what stage is at right now?
I don’t think there’s enough data to know. And it’s not being studied like one. This is happening over decades and is hard to measure when it’ll crash. It could be this decade, or the next generation. But I do think it’s coming.
Call me pessimistic, but I think it’s realistic. Things are good. Excellent actually. And we’re letting our guard down. These generational shifts are a product of the previous. With all this choice, it’s only a matter of time before greed gets the best of us.
You can feel the greed bubbling in our society, in our choices. And for those that are humble, modest, there’s someone out there who will take what you don’t just because they can. We’re hoarding. And we can only store so much before it becomes a burden. Before it becomes an existential crux.
We’re going to need to relearn what survival actually involves. We’ve had generations improve on survival so we don’t need to worry. But that’s precisely the problem, we will inevitably forget. We’ll slip and fall, then need to pick ourselves up.
But then again, with all the talk of AI – I’m sure the machines and robots can figure something out for us. Surely we’re not that far from an AI-enhanced human brain, right?
See ya in the future (maybe)!
Stay safe, and pass-it-on.