The struggle of Generations

Being back in a school~ish environment again (and mid-october actual school is starting also) - I've been given some time to contemplate upon youth. I mean, things would occur from time to time that remind me of the age gap; With all the fun insights that come with that. Give or take. And yea, it's ... funny, in a way, to think back of how I was in my "late" teens to early twenties - and how much I've changed since then. I mean, the fact alone - that I'm able to get up in time and be on time; As the norm - well, is a bit weird. Especially when there's someone who does, in that respect, remind me of myself and I get a sense of how people might have looked at me.
And so, I get the sense of how older Generations might look at the younger ones in disappointment. But stretching that into a generalized statement is certainly not fair. I mean, for once am I in a place that basically exists specifically to help out what we might call "stragglers" - disadvantaged people. And maybe there comes an edge in terms of motivation, with that opportunity. But so there's also a range of issues - let's call them 'standards' - that this 'new Generation' fails to meet. That however isn't a collective thing - or it is - depending on how we want to see it. One person will suck at the one thing while another does at some other thing - but on the other side are the things they're good at. Individually. And that's what this place tries to focus on. To support one in their potentials. To say, if you mind, "Yes we can" - rather than "make School Kids great again". And sure - I'd like to make it political eventually.

The main statement I want to make however, isn't really that at first. It might roughly translate into "let kids be kids" - with a somewhat harsh stance on this: "until you reach a specific age (perhaps as measured by the second) - and once you cross that line, all of our expectations are going to magically change". And I expect one part of the population to understand this, another might be confused - looking for excuses and rebuttals, and yet another is just this group of people that haven't crossed that line just yet.
I mean - sure. Eventually age becomes a measure for what we'd expect - alongside certain privileges and rights given to an individual. As I see it there is an "old enough" - and that rough 2 and 5 year period until they're "mature" - as in: 21.
But - what then are the things we expect?

One common issue would be that of joining the work force. And attached to that are expectations. Being on time, Proficiency, Adaptability, ... etc.. Things that apparently aren't all that granted anymore as people get stuck on their Videogames and Social Media and stuff. Which also comes with it's repercussions - like, having opinions that suck or a low attention span.
But - if you know my stuff you also know that ... I guess we could say that I don't like to get things backwards, but that might be too advanced of a position to impose here. So, I like to be critical of our expectations in work - from both, a humanitarian and an environmental angle - if not more.
In this regard, I think the depressing part is in our expectations round about work. The thing itself might not be new - it might be as old as time - that some kid might not share the interests or abilities they'd need to live up to whatever hopes there might be. And yet, we somehow managed so far.
So - in this regard I also like to think of how times have changed. From 'survival' to 'industrialization' to 'modernity'. And the main issue is that eventually we've outgrown 'the reasons to work' - where our advancements quite literally reduce the effective amount of human labor needed. And that at a scale that legitimizes the question: What now?

Working for the sake of it - is like a new 'expectation' - in contrast to one individuals 'motivation'. Where motivation, mind you, is a resource.
And while some might worry that I imply hedonism as an inevitable cultural good - I wouldn't go that far. Except ... a little maybe.

> IMPORTANT: But so, there's that other angle. Somehow we expect kids to grow up - into their time; And here's an interesting perspective:
Time is Progressive. As in: Politically progressive. I mean, kids grow up into an environment 'made' by an older Generation. While one Generation figured out Agriculture - the next grows into a world with Agriculture being a settled thing. And while things weren't changing much - there eventually came an equilibrium; Where the opportunities a new Generation had weren't all that different from the one(s) prior. Though still ... at least in the crucibles of culture and society - this ... let's call it a 'surplus' led to continuous evolution. Now we're in a time where the world changed dramatically, from Generation to Generation - and so this 'surplus' was given a lot more room. Generation by Generation. That is: While the older Generation built things that the new Generation internalizes as normal - it doesn't adhere to the same principles that the older Generation had internalized. And that's just normal. And while I agree that we should be cautious; I also think that we should not be stupid about it.

But anyhow. There's a lot of nuance to this, I'd say - so, maybe we need some practical context to properly look at it. And here I think that Climate Change is a very practical example.

The first thing were, that we cannot expect the younger Generation to just magically fix the problems that the older Generation created. And sure, given how widespread ignorance and denial of the matter is here and there ... the problem starts by acknowledging that problems exist.
Then, on the other hand, some people are really invested in that kind of activism - and my opinion on it is: Go at it - and we need more of that. Maybe the individual actions are pointless - and maybe all of it doesn't make for any kind of practical or effective protest - it's the mindset behind it that we need more of.

But then there's me, for instance. I grew up concerned - I appreciate nature - but was usually pre-occupied by other things. And now that I'm old - I realize that I don't want to take the blame for not having been more active about it during my youth. And given that the thing was known of for around if not more than a hundred years - yea, in a sense we're kicking the can down the road - but, that is where this mystical concept of 'growing up' comes into play.


So, I trust the scientific consensus on the matter, while I certainly also have noticed a few odd things myself. And I'd argue that I'm not alone and that - for the most part, in most places, this isn't a controversial belief. Or understanding, rather. And considering the magnitude of the problem, an argument can be made that we ought to be concerned. Now, who is this 'we'?

Well. What triggered all this was during a class where from going slightly off topic the name Greta Thunberg came up - and from the noises that came out of one corner in the room I ... got a little bit disappointed. It's the kind of stuff that also pollutes the interwebs here and there - I suppose we're all familiar with the ... rough composition of said expression. It wasn't nasty or noisy though, just this ... mix of being annoyed and ridicule. But it got me to think. Because the person this came from, isn't even 18 yet. And so I didn't have to think about it all that much - but to write it all out ... may be a bit more complicated.

But - by far and large - I think we can all understand what I'm trying to get at here. To take it back into non-political space, though sure we can also go and politicize it (well, I'm sure it'll happen), I am under the impression that young brains work differently. I guess we can say that the mind hasn't fully developed to embrace the serious life just yet. Foolhardy might be the word I'm looking for. Not to say that life has to be tough and serious and horrible and traumatic and all that for one to grow up. I think repetition is a very neat and simple and neutral source of enlightenment. And sure - then there's life's built in gimmick of reproduction. And possibly a number of other things that ... exist between the good and the bad of existence.

And so there's what the youth would call "cool parents" - and ... then there's the rest. Probably all on a spectrum. And I'd think that being part of the cool parent club entails a healthy understanding of this situation. Rather than trying to bend and break the kids into whatever it is you want of them.


So - as for what I'm writing about here, maybe it helps to see it as that: I noticed some annoying behavior in the younger generation; And learned that the problems are rooted within the older ones.

I mean - I maybe can't complain too much here. I'm citizen of a country that does care about combating climate change. There probably is a lot left to be desired - but, it's not only on us either. I mean, we learn, eventually, that the whole pressure on the individual is bollocks. What if I now went to convince a minor to see that Greta is cool actually - what would change? Like ... about the problem? And the same problem then applies when thinking of an individual country. Sure can the country do more - as here we're talking of large land-masses, at least pollution-wise. I mean, I think we're one of the major polluters, top something, ... yea, 7th in 2019. That's 7 times less than the USA and 16 times less than china though. We're 4 times smaller than the USA and 16 to 17 times smaller than China. So - technically that means that China beats the USA. Unless I got my maths wrong. So - X being 7 times less than Y means - Y is 7 times more than X - at only 4 times the Z - compared to the 16|17 ... other thing. :P

But - yea, relatively speaking - we might be on par so and so - at the end of the day we still only can do 'so much' on our own. And while the USA is inevitably some kind of ring leader on the world stage - we do kind of ... depend on them to act accordingly. I mean - the last few weeks we had to attend some courses, a few of which would implement some games and stuff around teamwork. And while in some instances some kind of common will works without leadership, sometimes someone has to take the reign - and the others also need to listen.
And though those games seemed trivial, I can see how these experiments could go horribly.
And while I'm uneasy about China getting large - and doing all the stuff that China be doing - they certainly have a similar kind of point with their anti US rhetoric. And from an objective "perspectivity" - we should be able to deal with this kind of critique and grow as a collective. Anyhow ...

Sorry.
What I was trying to get at, is to say that 'acknowledging climate change' could be taken as a measure for growing up. And this idea aligns with the whole 'individual ability' side of the story. Sure can we talk about age - but here we can only rely on ideas that 'work'. So, in regards to climate change - to us Germans that is trash separation and recycling for instance. Because those are the things that is within our ... reach. Sure could I try to take out the carbon footprint calculator - like a true American should because collective action is authoritarianism apparently (except when republicans do it it's "freedom") - where yea, if we all did it and stuff ... ? I mean, sure. We need to get on the same page of quite a few things.

And while I'm at it: I think a few people need to learn about relativity - that danger for instance is on a spectrum. So, say, for all that we've achieved here in Germany - we haven't really 'fixed' it. We still have crime and mental health problems and people cheating the system and all that - but that isn't outright a failure compared to places that have more of those problems; By magnitudes.
But the goal shouldn't just be to be like us - but to join in the mutual effort of lifting each other up.

To which we might first have to calm the Fuck down. There was an interesting game we had to play. So, it takes like ... 10 people standing in two rows facing each other - index fingers pointing out and interlocking. So there's an index finger from one side, then the other and so on. Then a rod is placed along the row - like a carpenter's/folding rule - and all index fingers have to touch it. And the goal is to lower it to the floor.
And you can't wrap your fingers around it. Obviously. So, no pulling.

Anyhow - I'm rambling ...


So, ideas that work. So, things we teach them - not as much as what one learns as part of "coping" with reality. I mean, we can try to teach all sorts of things - and yet at times theory diverges from the practical. And what's practical within a society could be called 'the lived society' - or whatever - and what options people have is a huge part of it.

And so, when it comes to youth, I think it's somewhat natural to 'look down' and "try to propose" ways of improvement. To impart wisdoms ... for sure. And what people can learn from life isn't only "survival of the fittest" - mind you. What I learned for instance is how well things can go if people understand how to work together.

To say, as done before, at some point the problem however isn't with what we mean to impart - sortof - but how that compares to the real world. And in that regard - I mean, there are plenty of voices outlining the oddity of that ... 'locked door'. Which is a parable from a book - as an appendix to Kosti's Journey I think - which is about how some parents went on a trip or something - and left the old kids to watch over the young. The older ones then went on to lock the younger ones into a room and went on to live a life of debauchery. I suppose also telling lies about why the young ones have to stay in that room. Eventually they saw through it and burned the place down.
Earlier today I read a post on reddit that ... falls into that ballpark of things that people say. And the issue is that ... this doesn't even cover all of it. Stuff like this - is peanuts. How did a commentor put it?: So much stuff has been swiped under the rug it's feet off the ground now - with some responses trying to outbid each other on how far off the ground and such.

And it only takes so long to understand it is what we're expecting of the kids/youth when imparting our "trusted work ethics and wisdoms" upon them. Sure, a part of it is probably universally and timelessly correct and good and important and all that. And separating one from the other is probably a fools quest. So, sure - go ahead and impart useful stuff upon the youth. But don't forget ... that you as an adult ... also have adult responsibilities.

If we really want what is the best for them - we for once need to recognize that they will once rule the world - as it has been for millennia - we, to some extent, need to set the stage for them. Ordinarily that's just the same ol' ... "just don't fuck it up" - but, ever so often 'the way things are' is the fuck-up.


So yea - the balance is sensitive and the stakes are high and all that; But - if all that people nowadays see when growing up is a from top down "do your work and shut up" type of deal - what is it, really, that they can learn to apply themselves at?

I mean, how much of learning a profession these days is about learning how far human labor has been turned obsolete? My apprenticeship is probably best translated as: Media Technician - Print Processing. So, what we learn is how to set-up and operate the machines to process print - and I've seen machines that basically assemble hundreds of books by the hour. Or something in that ballpark. Even books with customized content and cover. It's beautiful work - to my senses - and so is binding a book by hand. And in as far as there's a future of the kind to speak of, I'd say it's relatively future proof kind of work. As it's somewhat adjacent to Machine Operator. I mean, the only one up from that right now would be robotics.
And yet eventually one needs to wonder what we learn that for? I mean, even just economically. Sure there's upscaling and mass production - but ... for what?

Not saying that it's pointless. Quite the opposite. And so is engineering and machine construction. It's next to all things food processing and logistics - one of the key elements of modern civilization. And why are we doing it - if not to enable people to dump some time of their life into ... what's the most memey useless thing brought up these days? Lesbian dance theory? I don't know.

The thing is that this ... upper layer ... let's call it "the control level" ... is like locked. Perhaps due to gridlock - OK, if so - at least we had an idea of what to be working on. And I think, with that, I'll call it a day.