Generation Gap is a Myth or Reality

Society has left its odds far behind and come a long way with the pace of evolution in the thought, view, lifestyle and day-to-day life of people. With advancement in every sector of the nation and its society, man’s outlook has changed, needs have increased and demands have grown. The appetite of the 21^st century man for knowledge, wealth, success, prosperity, power and physical comfort is stronger than that of man in previous centuries. It has resulted in the formation of a gulf between the present generation and the previous generation. This phenomenon of the present century is better known as generation gap.

Generation gap is no myth. It is rather a reality. It is felt in the real world when there is a clash between old and new ideas. For example, a man of present generation with a scientific bend of mind considers everything from a logical point of view while his elders do not welcome his innovative ideas. They rather try to impose their superstitious beliefs on him.  A man with modern education hates to abide by old-age prejudices and customs which clutch the minds of the elderly. Today’s youth are more versed with technology than their parents and grand parents. They want their study to be equipped with desktops, their hands to grip high-end cell phones and ears to be plugged with earphones of ipods. Some parents who lead back-dated lifestyle do not understand these needs of their children, although they can afford them. The opposition between the generation that holds firm to traditions of the distant past and the generation that wants to advance with the passage of time bears distinct evidence to the existence of generation gap in the world of real life.

Today’s college goers hang out with friends at some posh café, bar or shopping malls every now and then. They don’t mind emptying their wallets to watch new releases of their favorite Bollywood and Hollywood stars at multiplexes in order to while away weekends. Some parents are easy-going and allow their adolescent children to lead their lives in their own way while some others, though they can provide for such luxuries of their children, find the contemporary picture contrary to that of their times. 

It is a common scenario to witness in metropolitan cities and even in townships that not only college goers but also school goers visit a video parlor more than a library. They feel more comfortable with surfing the internet, checking email accounts, chatting with friends, making friends online, logging on to social networking sites and reading SMSes than reading literary books. Orkutting and Twittering are common activities that most of today’s children, teens, adolescents and youngsters freely indulge in.

These are more than modern fancies and less than necessities. The youngsters of the present generation living in urban areas take fancy to this all to look cool and be trendy. Some parents want their children to feel, not face the hardships that they had undergone in childhood and youth. But, the children don’t take a look back into the bygone days of their parents. They just want to go with the wind and embrace the so called modern culture. Here lies the generation gap.      

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