TOPICS

PROBLEMS OF TODAY'S YOUTH

Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. It has never been truer than it is today. The young are better educated; they have a lot more money to spend and enjoy more freedom. They grow up more quickly and are not so dependent on their parents. They think more for themselves and do not blindly accept the ideals of their elders. Events which the older generation remembers vividly are nothing more than past history. This is as it should be. Every new generation is different from the one that preceded it. Today the difference is very marked indeed. The old always assume that they know best for the simple reason that they have been around a bit longer. They don’t like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And this is precisely what the young are doing. They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency. They doubt that the older generation has created the best of all possible worlds.
What they reject more than anything is conformity. Office hours, for instance, are nothing more than enforced slavery. Wouldn’t people work best if they were given complete freedom and responsibility? And what about clothing? Who said that all the men in the world should wear drab gray suits and convict haircuts? If we turn our minds to more serious matters, who said that human differences can best be solved through conventional politics or by violent means? Why have the older generation so often used violence to solve their problems? Why are they so unhappy and guilt-ridden in their personal lives; so obsessed with mean ambitions and the desire to amass more and more material possessions! Can anything be right with the rat-race? Haven’t the old lost touch with all that is important in life?
These are not questions the older generation can shrug off lightly. Their record over the past forty years or so hasn’t been exactly spotless. Traditionally, the young have turned to the older for guidance. Today, the situation might be reversed. The old – if they are prepared to admit it – could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not sinful. Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure; to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future. The world is full of uncertainly and tension. This is their glorious heritage. Can we be surprised that they should so often question the sanity of the generation that bequeathed it!

Aspirations of Today’s Graduates

Today’s graduates have different aspirations from the Boomers in their 50s and 60s. according to research conducted in North America and Britain by David Cannon of Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. The new graduates, labelled Generation X, postpone commitment, wanting to keep their options open as long as possible, cannon told the conference. They have a great fear of boredom and prefer short-term projects. They love facts and processes and feel Powerful from knowing “how”. They crave continual feedback, desire jobs that are ’sexy’ in the eyes of their peers, believe they are inherently good, and want marriage, family and material success.
Cannon said Boomers love adventure, independence and risk; can work to general goals; and can tolerate ambiguity and multiple answers. They want to be “artists” at what they do, value creativity, are self-directed, and want to do things “my” way. They can write, speak and conduct self-directed research well. They can be suspicious of corporate ideology, distrust authority; but can be forgiving if it errs. They loathe evaluation.
In contrast, Generation X graduates love information; work best to concrete goals; expect clear standards and procedure; want to be experts at what they do, like guided practice supervised by organized people; and over-estimate their communication and research skills. They demand corporate ideology, trust authority, but find it hard to forgive if it errs. They love evaluation.

Choosing a Career: Generation Gap

I wasn’t doing very well at school. First, I failed my exams. I should have passed them quite easily; but I hadn’t worked hard enough. My father wasn’t very pleased about that. And then I got into trouble at school. I wanted to take a few days off, so I had written a letter saying that I was ill. I had signed the letter with my father’s name. When the headmaster found out, he wanted to expel me. But my parents went to see him and he let me stay on. I really used to hate my school. It was called Greenbank College. It was a terrible place, full of really boring teachers.
There was only one teacher that I liked. His name was Jack Mayfield and he taught music. He was different from the other teachers. For one thing, he was quite young. And he seemed to enjoy music and like teaching it. He started teaching me the guitar. I got very interested in it. I used to go to his house every week. After the lesson was over, we drank coffee and listened to records. We used to talk for hours. It was wonderful to find someone I could really talk to. I’m still very grateful to Jack Mayfield. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d have gone mad at that school. I loved learning the guitar.
Soon I became quite a good player. I decided to become a professional musician. I knew it would be difficult, but I wanted to try. Jack was in favour of it; but my father didn’t like the idea. Of course, I didn’t want to tell him at first, because I knew he wouldn’t understand.
But one day my father said he wanted to talk to me. He asked me what I intended to do when I left school. I told him I wanted to be musician. He said that a career in music was very risky. He said I ought to become an accountant, because it was a very safe job. We talked for a long time. The longer we talked, the more depressed I got. Of course, I could see that my father was right in a way. I knew it would be more sensible to pass my exams and get a nice safe job. But I didn’t want to do that. I was only interested in playing the guitar. That was all I wanted to do!

By N.Kryuchkova and N.Sidorova,
11th grade,
with the participation of Mikhail Lifits, English teacher,
Gymnasium No. 1576