THIS is just
one view among many others with regard to the
so-called ‘millennials,’ those young people born between
1980 and
2000. I have heard quite a bit of comments about them,
and many of
them are not good. I thought of putting my two cents if
only to give a
more balanced view on them.
from those of the previous generation, as in, they are
disturbingly if
not offensively different. They are not just different in
a legitimate
way, but rather that they have already crossed the line
of legitimacy.
In one talk
show, for example, they were characterized as
“coddled, entitled, narcissistic and lazy.” I thought
that was a
rather sweeping and reckless characterization of these
young people
who are grappling with a significantly different world
environment,
what with all the technological progress and the many
ideological,
cultural and lifestyle choices, etc., they are exposed
to.
I find it
unfair to see and judge people more by their
peripheral aspects rather than by the more essential one
that should
have a universal applicability irrespective of what generation
one
belongs, or of race, religion, gender, etc. We have to be
clear about
what things we should hold as having an absolute value
and what also
are those that only have a relative value.
Yes, there will
always be differences among the different
generations, some of them we may consider as legitimate
while others
we may already deem as illegitimate. This phenomenon
should not come
as a surprise. Given our human condition, we will always
have these
kinds of differences. But that should be a challenge we
have to
tackle, making clarifications in an atmosphere of
respect, patience
and charity.
Truth is what
the past generations worked so hard to
discover and accomplish are now usually already taken for
granted by
the current generation as it will try to discover and
accomplish other
new things or at least introduce certain innovations.
This fact will
bring about certain differences in attitudes and outlook.
So it is
unfair to compare people from different generations using
the
yardstick of a particular generation.
Of course, not
to be forgotten is the reality that
regardless of whatever generation one belongs, there will
always be
cases of persons who manage to do good and take advantage
of what
their generation in general has accomplished, as well as
cases of
persons who misuse and get spoiled by what their
generation has
developed.
We just have to
learn to live with that reality, and focus
more on what can unite the different generations rather
than on what
divides. We need to know where to find the source and
energy of unity
among the different generations. And this can only be
God. Without
him, there is no way but for us to cause division and
conflict among
the different generations.
In this regard,
we have to focus on catechizing everyone
about God and us, about how we come from God and how we
ought to live
our whole life with him, discerning and following his
will and ways
not only on the big issues of life but also on the small,
ordinary and
usual ones.
We should be
guided by the basic moral principles that are
truly inspired by the teaching of Christ and
authoritatively taught by
the Church. But we should also realize that these
principles are never
frozen and rigid, but rather alive and still open to
further
deepening, refining and polishing to better adapt to
varying
situations without compromising what is truly essential
and absolute.
With good
doctrinal and moral foundation, we should be
able to discern what is good and useful in any
development in a
particular generation, and what is bad and potentially
dangerous in
that generation.
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