Tuesday, November 05, 2024 | Jumada al-ula 2, 1446 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Generations: Connecting the dots...

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Of all generations, so the men in white coats tell us, the ‘Greatest Generation’ was born from 1901-1924, moulded by the frugalities and demands of the Great Depression, when millions barely survived a fragile financial environment, and the appalling human cost of the Great War of 1914-18, which was labelled “the war to end all wars,” by H G Welles, reflecting the hopes of his generation that such horrors would never be inflicted upon humankind ever again. They, and he, were wrong, as man’s lust for war continues to blight all the social progress, we are making a hundred years later.


The Silent Generation of the following years from 1924 to 1945, was so-called because of the paucity of children born in the traumatic wake of those two devastations to societies, and nations. They were finding their socialist voices, not their politically socialist voices as such, but socially. Those in this group, who are alive today, have our respect, partly because they were born to respect, and have never forgotten it. They also have humility, pride, and the unerring economy of voice that knows when to stand up and speak, and to sit down, and shut up.


I’m what’s known as a ‘Baby Boomer,’ born between 1946 and 1964. Academics have referred to us as the consequence of World War II, when we sought comfort and normality after the war of 1939-45 that was never meant to happen. The term was first coined by Sylvia Porter, in the New York Times of 1951, and referred to the startling rise in births in that post-war period that, creating a much larger, more demanding generation, so quickly, it forced social instability. However, in heralding low-key political awakening, not yet activism, it inspired change, and quite some affluence.


‘Generation X’ was from the 1965-1980 era, and they see themselves as the generation that “started it all!” You/they were here when the internet started, and you/they have an inimitable arrogance that it was/is all down to you/them. For so long you/they have looked down your/their noses at the earlier generations as being responsible for all that was ‘bad’ about, or ‘wrong’ with your/their world, without trying to understand those who came before, their views and values. You/they have taken as of right, all that came before you/them without significant acknowledgement or recognition, either of the sacrifices made, pain, suffering, adversity, or just plain hard work that went before. Yes, we know... “work smart – not hard,” is a valid philosophy... but the internet, and all it has spawned, didn’t just happen! It is no surprise then, that we, the elder generations have sympathy for the ‘Millennials,’ born between 1981 and 1996. After all, they had ‘Gen X’ for parents! Though born to mobility, in every sense of the word, this generation have learnt to acknowledge the contributions of their elders, to be more respectful, to demonstrate greater understanding, and to take responsibility for the environment, and conservation of the planet. I feel, they are the generation that will make a difference, and that ‘X’ truly does mark the spot, or more correctly, the time! Their offspring, ‘Gen Zs,’ those born between 1996 and 2012, and ‘Gen Alpha,’ born since 2012, are the latest iterations.


We, their elders, all need to discover who, and what they are, what they want, need, and what’s on their minds? What we do know is that they see their educational experiences as largely irrelevant to their futures, they want education, but one that will benefit them. They surely need other languages, and need to learn to communicate effectively, and to respond to challenges, not with anger and offence, but with resilience. They want safety and security, and wanting those means they want a voice, political integrity, and the opportunity to inspire and bring change. They are not only creative and imaginative, and as societies, we must acknowledge and respect their desire to be heard.


We should ask them, listen to them, and acknowledge them. Why? Because this is their generation... their time.


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