The times have changed (Older generation vs Younger) " उंगली पकड़ पकड़ के हमने

उंगली पकड़ पकड़ के हमने चलना जिन्हें सिखाया था 

इस दौर में कैसे चलना है , अब बच्चे हमें सिखाते हैं 

“Ungali Pakad Pakad ke hum ne chalnaa jinhen sikhaaya tha

 Is Daur me kaise chalnaa hai, Ab Bachche hamen Sikhaate hain”

 Translation:

“Whom we taught how to walk, by holding their hands,

Those children now teach us how to ‘walk’ in this new era.”

Every now and then, most parents get frustrated when the children don’t listen to them or don’t do what they are told to do. Especially when they tell parents that their thinking is old; that the times have changed and they should also change with the time. Or worst, when the children try to teach them how to behave or think and act in these new times.

Most parents and elders find it ‘disrespectful’ and think that the new generation children do not have much respect for their elders.

They think they are more experienced and know more since they ‘have been around for much longer’.

As a matter of fact, the new generation is always smarter and ahead of the older generation. They know more. Because they have the advantage of knowing, without much effort, what their parents or previous generations had learned and discovered. They don’t have to experiment or discover everything from the scratch. They also have the time and resources available to them to develop new ideas and theories based upon the experiences of the previous generations. Especially now days, because of the new developments in technology, any information they need is available to them in the ‘palm of their hand’.  

They don’t have to depend on the previous generation for the answers.

And they know it.

So it is hard for them to accept everything what the elders say or ask them to do. They not only question it but insist that the parents and the older generation should change and learn the new ways of thinking since the times have changed.

Of-course, this is not easy.

For most elderly people, it’s not so easy to let go everything they know and change their ways of thinking.

The clash occurs when neither side; the older or the newer generation, is willing to give up their stand and accept the other’s point of view.

Perhaps, to lessen the ‘generational gap’, we should learn to compromise and find a mid-point to meet.

                                                                                   ‘Rajan Sachdeva’