As per Cambridge Dictionary, Generation Gap is a situation in
which older and younger people fail to understand each other due to their
different experiences, opinions and behavior. It is a perceived gap between the
young and the old. Several factors attribute to this gap such as, languages
spoken, technological advancement leading to influences,
workplace attitudes, and generational consciousness and so on.
Though the term Generation Gap is widely used today but I think
it is old wine in a new bottle. The great epic Mahabharata shows us that the
Kauravas were yearning for power irrespective of their father’s wishes though
they had strong sense of duty and affection towards their parents. Kauravas
thus went against the wishes of their father who could not restrain his sons to
wage war against the Pandavas! Ramayana on the other hand personify the Aryan
culture where Rama and his brothers were men of loyalty and honour, sons
willing to make sacrifices for the sake of virtue against evils of greed. But
Rama was quite independent while choosing Sita as his wife without the
knowledge of his father!
Values, ideologies and individualities form a distinct character
for each generation that we must readily accept. It is necessary to maintain an
effective communicating system so that all are well connected and well heard!
We, in our times, may have observed a certain code of conduct
around our parents. My parents were conventional people who could never think
of challenging the social and cultural norms. I, as a kid, also accepted their
ways without challenging it. But, as a mother, I have parented in a different
way by giving my children the freedom to distinguish the good from bad with the
reasoning we have imparted to them.
In my opinion, all of us must, gracefully, accept that each
generation experiences different mental and physical maturation that leads to
new set of values along with a change in their attitude or behavior. To combat this gap, as is rightly said, it is
important to communicate with the previous and future generation. For instance,
an older generation may think that the Peepul tree is holy but a younger generation
might reason that it is holy because it gives out maximum amount of oxygen
during night!
I also want to share my sweet,
evergreen mother-in –law’s experience here. Being a teacher by profession, she
aptly understood the only way to reach out to her grandchildren was through
communication. But how? So, Instead of feeling left-out or unappreciated, she
started using her ‘tablet’ in order to stay connected with them. She has
effectively adapted herself to the changing times and bridged the ‘gap’. It is commendable for a 92 year old to have
mastered a technology so ahead of her time. So one may infer that it is a
matter of will power that ensures a healthy relationship. It is not only the
duty of the older generations to adapt but also of the younger generations, to
put in efforts to comprehend the former’s way of life, to respect it and to
make them feel more welcome into their life.
It can be quite difficult for veterans to accept and adapt new
techniques and ever-changing ways of life. The younger generation must also keep
in mind that they owe a great deal to the previous generation. There are
certain areas where science and technology fail but the knowledge and
experience of veterans can lead youngsters to success.
The solution to Generation gap can be viewed as a mutual give
and take between the generations. Attitudes and perception have gone through a
dramatic change. As the older generation fears to take up the challenges of the
transformation, the younger generation too must also realize these
transformations can very difficult to undergo. In the age of globalization,
where there is tremendous change noticed in every sphere, disputes can break
out over the littlest of things. So forming or maintaining relationships and
communicating play a pivotal role in understanding each other’s ideology. Digital
methods of communication are a blessing in disguise to connect with people
living far away.
I was amused after reading an article about a nursing home in
Netherlands which, in lieu of rent free apartment’s for its students, are
trying to nurture fruitful interaction between the students and the senior
citizens. Students are supposed to volunteer a minimum 30 hours per month to
watch sports, celebrate birthday, keeping company during illness and times of
distress. Don’t you think this is an excellent way to exchange your ideas?
Generation gap, as natural as it is, will stay in some amount
but we can take baby steps to narrow the void to bring ourselves closer to each
other. As Deal said that miscommunication and misunderstanding is fueled by
insecurities and desire for clout. We seldom like change but we must be willing
to acquire new styles. Wisdom does come with age that are again valuable
especially when you face unprecedented failure! Thus it has been increasingly
seen and felt, that you have to part ways with few things to get certain
things.
[SHARMILA DASGUPTA]
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