Generation

The history of my family demonstrates the drastic change in the relationship with environment that has occurred over the past few generations. Seeing the change in attitudes and lifestyles between my grandparents, parents, and my own generation is very educational, Examining the changing relationship with environment across this timeframe, one can make conclusions about the relative importance of natural surroundings in the life of people as changing over time. My family history naturally reflects the situation in Thailand, as I come from this nation, but I believe that it to a great degree parallels the events in other parts of the globe.

My grandparents lived in a rural area in Thailand and made their living by farming. This is still a common situation in Thailand where 65% of the land is engaged in agriculture (Assumption University, n.d.). Their occupation made them strongly aware of their natural environment as they depended upon it for their livelihood. However, this relationship was not one of adoration or concern – land, water, plants were to them something matter-of-fact, something they perceived as their daily routine.

Besides, their attitude was one of consumption. They saw the resources of the land as something they were entitled to merely because of being born in this land, since soil, skies and water were simply vehicles for growing food, not much else. There was little concern as to what will happen in the next generations, and little awareness of the need to implement new agricultural techniques in order to extend the land’s capability to generate harvests over generation. At that time, Thailand’s population was not so large, and it was at many times simpler to move to a new plot of land than to tend to the old one, trying to improve its productivity.

With all this said, I would like to note that my grandparents were successful as farmers and developed some new crops that allowed them to outstrip the rest of the farmers in terms of financial gain. In the next generation, the income received by my grandparents enabled my father to receive a college education and obtain a white-collar job. Thus, nature offered them this opportunity to improve their lifestyle and life standards. As a result, my father who grew up on a farm, found himself working in an office in Bangkok, only occasionally visiting his elderly parents in their place.

The same is true for my mother who also changed her rural motherland for an urban life. This made nature seem something of a holiday setting to them, rather than an everyday reality. In their office jobs, they did not need to care whether land preserved its fertility and whether the climate remained mild enough for the crops to grow. Although Bangkok and other cities in Thailand are made up of landscapes skillfully integrating trees, lawns and buildings to create a coherent image, this nature is very ‘cultured’ and very far removed from the roughness of the village landscapes. Thus, in my parents’ urban life, nature was very much a distant reality, something they saw on TV and enjoyed in our little Sunday outings.

However, they identified with Thai nature as associated with their place of birth and motherland. Given their rural background, they remembered toiling in the fields and gardens, trying to turn the gifts of nature into material benefits. Somewhere deep inside their souls, they looked upon this connection, although on a subconscious level.

One change that occurred in the relationship to nature in my parents’ generation was the rising awareness of nature as a global phenomenon. Thanks to books, periodicals, TV, and now Internet, their generation was able to realize that the boundaries of nature transgressed those of nations, and that nature was facing a threat from too much human interference.

Seeing pictures of nature all around the world, they began to see in color how different various places on earth were, and realize how unique their own natural surroundings were. This ‘global’ realization, I believe, happened more or less in the time my parents’ generation was active, as millions of people throughout the world realized that the rest of the world has become closer, and reality is such that we live in a small, interdependable world.

With the move to the US that happened when I was only 17, the connection with nature as some place in Thailand where my parents were born and grew up, has become even weaker. Here, we were surrounded by a rich and diverse natural setting, even if it seemed alien to us at first. However, the beauty of American nature took our hearts, and as a family we made quite a few ‘nature-focused’ outings, such as, for instance, a trip to the Grand Canyon or the Yellowstone park.

More important is, however, the revolution in thinking that occurred in my generation. With globalization trotting over the planet at a dramatically increased speed, environmental plight is no longer something distant and incomprehensible, but instead has become something that threatens us already in out lifetime. With evidence of the global climate change and warming happening on a large scale, no one can ignore the significance of what is happening.

Basing my judgment not only on my personal experience, but also on that of my colleagues and fellow students, I can claim that we are much more likely to make environmentally conscious choices. Personally, I agree with the words of James Gustave Speth, dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, that environmental issues today have turned into “chronic problems,” that emerge and have a long-term nature” (Laverdiere, 2000).

The fact that today’s ecological issues such as greenhouse effect, ozone depletion and loss of biodiversity cannot be solved by the efforts of one nation or dealt with effectively on a local level. Their solution requires the coordination of effort on an international level, translating into significant changes in our mentality. My generation is much more aware of the existence of other nations, better informed of their struggle for a cleaner environment and has better opportunities to join with representatives of other countries in the struggle for a safer and cleaner environment.

Personally, I have participated in a few demonstrations focused on environmental issues and at one point attended the Ecological Club in my high school. I also know a lot of peers who take this action seriously. This is something my parents and grandparents would not think of doing since they had a totally different perception of their relationship to nature and environment.

Thus, over three generations, my family went through a revolution in our relationship to environmental cause. To my grandparents, land and nature was commodity, something they consumed in order to receive material benefits for themselves and their kids. My parents were to a great degree alienated from nature that remained to them very much a childhood memory that bound them to their birthplace; at the same time, their understanding of nature and environment was considerably broadened to include places far away from their motherland. Finally, in my present generation, nature became a source of concern, something that requires distinct political action to protect and save it for future generations.

References

Assumption University, Bangkok. (n.d.). Agriculture. Retrieved January 27, 2006, from http://sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/agriculture/AgriRes.html

Laverdiere, M. (2000, January 27). “Forestry dean discusses hidden environmental problems”. Yale Daily News. Retrieved January 27, 2006

Short Essay on Generation Gap by Bunty Rane Life styles, rapid changes in Science and Technology has transformed our outlook towards life, increasing the divide, much more than it has ever happened in the past. The divide has always been there but never before has it been so wide. Life style changes with the passage of time and with a changing life style, attitudes and values also undergo a transformation. No two generations have shared the same views and options. However, there has never been a greater divide between two generations than in modern times.

With rapid changes in science and technology, the exposure, which today’s teenager is getting, is enormous. Value systems have gradually degenerated and the youth is assimilating a new culture. The result is confused parents who are unable to reconcile with the views of their children. There is a great divide between the perception of both, the young people and the adults. One finds that both are unable to communicate with each other, quite often. One of the reasons could be that neither knows what the other is interested in though they may be living under the same roof.

This gap results in direct confrontation between the young and the old. This is a universal truth which is applicable to all times be it the past or future. Shakespeare King Lear beautifully depicts this confrontation between the young and the old. King Lear represents the older generation and the younger generation is represented by his daughters. Generation gap is not only reflected in the choice of dresses but also in music, opinions and other behavior patterns. The younger generation which has acquired a different set of values rebels against the older generation as they wish to impose their own value system on them.

They resist this forceful intrusion as they are unable to reconcile with the thought of accepting what they think has become outdated. The parent’s displeasure is obviously natural as it is a defiance of their authority and the right way to lead one’s life. Parents fail to realize that the wheel of change irreversible and those, who do not move with it, tend to become disillusion aggravating conflict. The kids are moving much faster on the technologic track, as well as in daily life, than the parents.

Children, today, are capable using complicated gadgets and this phenomenon of superior knowledge children as compared to adults has never happened as much as now in 13 societies. The conflict arises when adults stick to their old ways and refuse accept any change while the world rapidly moves ahead. In short, Generation Gap is nothing but the resistance in adults to adapt| change – They forget that the only thing constant in life is ‘change’. The realization requires a lot of patience and understanding of change perceptions.

The adults need to look back, introspect and think also the differences they had with their parents. No doubt, memory is she lived and one tends to forget the past which they are fond of referring to ‘Good old days’, where they as children were obedient, respectful and servile. The gap between the old people and the young is called the generation gap. It is the difference in the attitude, priorities, and views among generations. As to the different attitude of life, the people belonging to the old generation always wonder what has gone wrong with the new generation.

They feel that during their time, young boys and girls were better behaved, more obedient and had greater respect for elders. Young people, on the other hand, feel that they are capable enough to learn on their own rather than lean heavily on the older generation for any guidance. Young people do not like to be spoon-fed by their elders. The differences also appear in some other ways. For example, the way of entertainment. Our grandparents’ generation never understood Elvis and the Beatles, frequently opposed to them, relating rock as “the devil’s music”.

They did all they could to ban rock and contraceptives, mostly because they couldn’t understand what was going on. Then came flower power and the hippie generation, who were smoking pot, protesting against Vietnam, taking acid and going to rock festivals, such as Woodstock. Essay Generation gap is unavoidable in not only extended families with many generations but also nuclear families between parents and children. A number of conflicts in a family are brought about by generation gap. In my opinion, to limit bad effects of generation gap, each family should use three following methods.

First of all, it is important that family members discuss openly about their childhood or funny and sad incidents in family gatherings. This activity does not only create a close relationship but also helps build up understanding among all members. For instance, once children are aware that their grandparents and even their parents did not have a good upbringing during their hard childhood, they will stop complaining on the previous generations’ obsoleteness. In the meantime, once old people realize young people are nurtured in a new modern way, it is easy for them to be tolerant of young people’s new habits or hobbies.

Secondly, people of each generation should not develop a very high feeling about themselves. In order to do that, they should not think that they are the only right people in their family because each person has his or her own limitation. When all members do not insist on their own opinions but listen to others, they can easily negotiate in case they have conflicting views. Also, together with keeping an open mind, each member should learn to respect one another’s good personalities.

For example, teenagers realize that their parents have to struggle with pain to support them financially, and they stop rebel against their strictness. Parents realize that their children’s new style do no harm to their study and stop imposing their own unsuitable standard on their children. In general, generation gap and its bad effects can be limited if all members cooperate to build up a close-knit family in which they are open and tolerant of each other. I strongly believe that each family, by doing that, can enjoy a cozy atmosphere with the minimum interference of generation gap.

Generation gap or a conflict between the old and the young is a topic of today. We often hear of conflict or a clash between the father and the son or between age and youth. Youth stands for adventure and enterprise. It is full of energy and enthusiasm, initiative and activities. It believes in going forward. It is not satisfied with the present. It is bubbling with new ideas. On the other hand age stands for old order or traditions. Today due to scientific development the youth have developed the spirit of enquiry and interrogation. They do not want to believe in ready-made belief.

They are full of aspirations and ambitions. They wants to go ahead not caring for the consequences. When elders advise them, they feel annoyed, murmur and complain. Youth are sensitive by nature. Old order has lost its charm for them. Established values and traditions have lost their appeal for them. They are today living in the age of enquiry and experiment. When the elder dictate to them and impose their will upon them, the youth become defiant and rebellious. They feel frustrated and discontented, when their wishes are not fulfilled.

The result is that today there is a direct clash between the father and the son. Family peace is disturbed. The society today faces a new problem and a new challenge. Life is dynamic and not static. Times change and with them values also change. The elder therefore, should change their mentality and attitude towards the youngsters. What was true yesterday is not true today. The youth are temperamentally and intellectually quite different from the elder. Every generation has its own dreams and visions—its hopes and ambitions. The old generation should change with the time.

Let them wear colourful clothes and have flowering hair like hippies. The fashions of yesterday have no appeal to j youth of today. Both the young and the old should read the writing on the wall. The generation gap is not something which cannot be filled up. It can be bridged by apathy and better understanding. Faults on both sides must be overlooked and shortcomings should be forgiven. What is needed is greater affection. The key to this problem lies in one world “Adjustment”. Parents must appreciate f children for what they are and no for what they want them to be.

The generation gap becomes wider when the elder and the younger generation refuse to understand and appreciate the view point of other. It is wrong for older generation to expect the same thing which they did to their elders. The youth today ignore the advice of the teacher and disobey their parents because their self-respect is injured. Children today enjoy those advantages which their parents lacked. A son’s ambitions and dreams may be totally different from those of his father. For instance, the father may be a practical man who liked to build memorials, but life may have defeated his ambitions.

The son on the other hand may be a poet and dreamer. The generation gap has to be bridge not by parental compulsion, but by mutual understanding, tactful handling, sympathy and understanding. The modern parent is busy with earning money. The result is that he neglects the child and throws him to the wolves. In the absence of parental influence and guidance, the youth lose spiritual ties which maintain life. The younger generation should show a deeper understanding to their elders who should turn a lenient eye on their shortcomings.

The youth must pay heed to their elder’s advice because age speaks with the wisdom of experience. What is needed is friendship, not animosity, sympathy, not criticism, understanding. To whatever generation we belong, we have to make journey from the cradle to the grave. Our elders should read the psychology of the youth and then try to deal with them, tactfully. The youth on the other hand should not cross limit of decency and propriety. There is no harm if they allow themselves to be guided by their elders whose rich worldly experience may prove useful to them.

THE BABY BOOMERS HAVE SQUANDERED THEIR CHILDREN’S FUTURE We should protect ourselves from the self centred attitude of the elderly. A generation that have ‘pulled the ladder they climbed up after them’, intending to prevent youth from attaining the merits of their own yesteryears. I am painting the picture of intergenerational fairness – a product of blame and a constant of culture designed to justify the impeding nature of society today. This vociferous claim is stifling nations as the desire to classify a diagnosis implants the division of ages through a unjustified mood.

The baby boomer generation filled the hole opened by the wounded and dead, supplied a new workforce and bolstered prosperity, developing consumerist nations. A 1958 story in Life magazine declared that “kids” were a “built-in recession cure. ” Whilst the thousands of men who returned infertile are denied scrutiny, despite declining fertility rates, aiding an ageing generation and contributing a diminutive amount to society. To destroy the idyllic past is the recollection of rationing, utility clothing, national service and events such as the Vietnam war.

Can dwindling resources, debt or the enevitable issues of over population really be placed on these elders’ shoulders? Especially as, since October those over 65 are allowed to remain in occupations, so state reliance beforehand is free from their influence, just poor government prediction. Opposition then utter words of stunted growth. However the labour market is dynamic, not static – mature workers continue to pay taxes, fuelling the wealth that will expand employment, providing those opportunities for the young. In the UK university attendance has increased by 40%, the literacy rate is 99%, minimum wage will increase to ? . 31, we face higher life expectancy, and greater affluence as wealth is expected to double by 2050. Is this prospectus so detrimental or terminal? Since when has spending equalled squander? It merely stimulates the monetary cycle of the economy. The end of the post war economic boom, arrived from the collapse of the Bretton Woods System in 1971,the 1973 oil crisis and The Nixon shock causing the stock market crash. It is the traditional conservative government that now promotes that each generation has a moral obligation, acting as a trustee and beneficiary, moving attention towards insubstantial social issues.

But western society is not expected to evaluate through ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation as it tends to distort conceptions, this can be applied to age. It is vital to consider that one single group, circumstance or historical event has ever been solely to blame. There is always a collective of responsibilities and actions, therefore to burden the baby boomer’s would be naive and childish. An ideological obsession has formed causing the propagation of every single inequality and injustice between generations. A western, educated, modern society judging averages, demonising the elderly rather than adapting and extending change.

Society affects the lives of people who live in it. It dictates how they should behave and establishes norms that are expected to be obeyed otherwise people who do not fulfill the expectations are considered as deviant, rebellious and society’s outcasts. Society, however, is susceptible to change, as it is highly shaped by the events and its resulting pervasive ideas, occurring in certain periods of time.

The three stories, “The Vanishing American Hobo” by Jack Kerouac, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “Soldier’s Home “by Ernest Hemingway clearly illustrates how society changes and how it affects the people in it and how people attempts to suppress deviance. The story “Soldier’s Home” is a story of a young man who returns as a changed man to Oklahoma in 1919 after the First World War. This story was first published in 1925. The young soldier Harold “Krebs” enlisted in the Marines and goes to war for two years.

When he returns home it is very obvious that he is not the same hopeful, slick, religious young man in the picture who goes to a Methodist College and enjoys college lives with fraternity brothers anymore. Now he is passive and refers to himself as not part of the “Kingdom”. Moreover, it seems he does not want to be involved with life in general, the reason is that,” He did not want consequences …. he wanted to live along without consequences,” therefore he withdrew (Hemingway 2007).

Around him there is an air and sense of loss, he even has to lose his own war stories as he had to tell lies about his experiences since people in his town decided they have had enough of the stories of atrocities related by the soldiers who came home earlier than him. Moreover, there are so many things that he does not want to take part anymore even courting as it states, “He did not want to have to do any courting” (Hemingway 2007). It is pretty obvious that the war had changed Krebs, and the line “he couldn’t make her see it”, when he comforts his mother after telling her that he does not love her, hinted to the reason (Hemingway 2007).

The war had taught him a lot of things including stifling his emotions. And most importantly, he could not explain to his mother what he had gone through in the war, he could not make her understand and see the horror the war has exposed him. But his family, especially his parents, could not see why he has to act that way while the other soldiers in the neighborhood had clearly moved on, having good jobs and getting married, and so they pressured him to go back to the normal society. The First World War brought many countries into a global armed conflict that was considered the first devastating and horrible event in all of human history.

People died by the thousands and many suddenly find themselves losing their family and friends. The soldiers, especially, are daily exposed not only to the hardships of war but the terror and anxiety that accompanies it. Trench warfare specifically exposed the soldiers to a very harsh, stagnant and extremely dangerous environment. Right before their eyes skulls and brains were blown away. An example of a horrible incident is when a man who had the top of his head blown away was groaning like an animal for three hours before he died (Hemingway Lecture Notes).

Soldiers surrounding him cannot avoid being affected by such painful human torture, as they were helpless to ease his pain. No wonder that an incident like this made many soldiers who return home after the war broken, without hope and suffer emotional numbness and disbelief like Krebs did. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs it is normal that soldiers experiences a kind of trauma (shellshock and post traumatic stress disorder) after the war since it is indeed a very shocking human experience.

Soldiers feel somehow dissociated from what they know is “normal life”. It is possible that the other soldiers like Charley Simmons who easily adjusted to normal life in Oklahoma did not suffer as much as Krebs did. Studies revealed that soldiers do not experience the same kind of trauma as not all of them are exposed to more “prolonged, extensive, and horrifying” situation as Krebs probably was. However, society put pressure on them by expecting them to move on, to forget the war (“National Center” 2007).

The short story “Harrison Bergeron” reflects the 1950’s conformity lifestyle and the rebellious protestation of a young boy against it. It was published in 1961. The story describes the hopeful and desperate attempts of that society to eliminate differences and to achieve equality especially in terms of intellect and physical appearance. If any man has above normal average intelligence, they put a metal handicap radio in his ear which in every 20 seconds, a noise from the government transmitter will interrupt his thinking, so that he cannot use his intelligence for his advantage.

If a woman is beautiful, a hideous mask covers her face to conceal her beauty. Moreover, people are burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot to keep them from being graceful in their movements or to reduce their strength. The point is, anything that can make them look as superior from every body else are made into a handicap. They do not want “to go back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else” (Vonnegut 2005).

Moreover, the idea of disobeying the law, when Hazel suggested that they made a hole to take out some lead balls from the birdshot canvas bag, was an unthinkable thing for according to George, “ The minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think happens to society”( Vonnegut 2005)? They believe that cheating on laws brings social upheavals that they do not like. The strange thing is that Hazel and George and the people around them seem to get used to the idea of conformity, as George states,” I don’t notice it any more. It just a part of me” (Vonnegut 2005).

However, their son, Harrison, is put into jail and eventually killed for rebelling against it. As the Handicapper General attacked their son on TV, parents of Harrison were not able to help him. Two are several forces that led into the conformity of the 1950”s: the Korean conflict and the threat of communism. But the underlying root cause of it all is the fear of the terrors of war that they previously experienced in the Second World War. Therefore to avoid any conflict, social conformity is encouraged since they believed that conformity is unity.

The place of men and women in society were clearly defined: women stay home while the men go out to work and achieve the American dream. This is being depicted by Hazel and George Bergeron: Hazel stays at home while George works. Men are especially drawn to the collective idea of “organization man”; they were expected to work in corporations, to put on flannel suits and pursue the American dream. The American dream is like the Handicapper General that dictates the ideas and dreams of the people. Every one is encouraged to think and act alike and was preoccupied with the lure of consumerism and materialism.

Conformity are also seen in the sameness of house designs , like the one in Levittown and the sameness of appetite, as Americans began to be obsessed with fast foods. Conformity was especially achieved with the aid of Television. As in the story, all of the action occurred in front of the Television (Costello 2007). However, the young generations are beginning to rebel, as symbolized by Harrison, but the force of conformity was so strong that parents are in bondage to it, unable to extend the necessary psychological and emotional help that their children desperately needed.

The “Vanishing American Hobo” was published in 1960. It tells of the experiences of the hobos as they travels like vagabonds from place to place across America usually with back packs on their backs. They are a people who choose to live as exiles of society, who sleep just anywhere, to experience the freedom that they desire, “There’s nothing nobler than to put up with a few inconveniences like snakes and dust for the sake of absolute freedom” (Kerouac 2008). But freedom from what?

Obviously from their restrictive society who dictates what they should do or have. According to Kerouac, the hobo “is born of pride, having nothing to do with a community but with himself and other hobos and maybe a dog” (Kerouac 2008). This means that they are proud of their lifestyle or subculture, that they deliberately do not want to associate with society and maintain little intimate interest with other people, aside from the hobos like them. The author laments that they are quickly becoming a vanishing lot because of the police and the media.

The police, riding in their tax-paid police, cars searches for them everywhere suspecting them as possible spies against the government while the media, on the other hand, portray them as “the rapist, the strangler, and child-eater” so that adults and children stay away from them and no longer provides them with the food that they need (Kerouac 2008). This shows clearly the attempts of the government to suppress the subculture that they symbolizes and to force them back to what is “normal”.

In the wake of the conformity of the 1950’s arises the Beat generation. “Beat generation” is attributed to Jack Kerouac. Though it could mean being defeated or weary of life “like being pushed up against the wall” or implying a sense of being used or raw Jack would also like it to refer to what is beatific (The Beat Generation Lecture). Jack and his friends, in ushering in the beat generation, encourages the protest of the 60’s against the established society of materialism, where everyone are encouraged to own cars and decent homes.

The generation, having experienced uncertainties of the Depression and the terror of war in childhood, is a disillusioned lot who desperately wants to hold on to something that they can believe in(Beat Generation Lecture Notes; Abieva [no date]). They do not find such meaning in the collective conformity of the 1950’s, the generation of their fathers. In fact, they do not trust this collective society who was responsible for the bad circumstances of depression and global wars.

The hobos, particularly, are glorified as people who defy the restrictive and demanding norms of society in pursuit of freedom. They symbolize the solitary desire of that generation, to be left alone, to figure things out for themselves, to search for meaning. As the period was compounded by hysteria of the rise of communism, it seems that the right thing to do in that generation, to preserve ones individual identity, is to quit that society.

Attempts were made to discourage this deviance (subculture) as what McCarthy did in his pursuit against communism. The media and police were effective tools for suppression (Abieva, [no date]). The three stories therefore clearly give an insight into the societies in the periods of American history following just after turbulent struggles. The horrors and uncertainties of the Wars and Depression molded the consciousness of the people, and as they try to cope with the challenge of their era, it therefore changed their way of thinking and lifestyle.

People become united for certain causes and also united in their sufferings. However, some people do try to get out of its safe mold, to carve a life according to the dictates of their own minds. To be different is what scares most people so that society always attempts to suppress this deviance back to conformity by exerting force or pressure. Works Cited Abieva, Natalia. Protest and Experiment in the Literature of the Beat Generation. Fairfield University. [no date]. Accessed November 4, 2008 <http://www.

faculty. fairfield. edu/faculty/ hodgson/RussiaDiversity/LastYear/Thebeats. htm> Costello, Mr. Conformity Notes: 1950s Lecture On Society. Canfield Foundation Website. March 2007. Accessed November 4, 2008 < http://servtlc. access-k12. org/ achievement/Fifties_Conformity. htm> Hemingway, Ernest. “Soldier’s Home”. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 2007. Accessed November 4, 2008 <http://www. cis. vt. edu/modernworld/d/ hemingway. html#3> Kerouac , Jack. “The Vanishing American Hobo”.

Cloud Bird Trail Home. 2008. Accessed November 4, 2008 <http://cloudbirdtrail. talkspot. com/aspx/templates/ topmenuclassical. aspx/msgid/326411> “National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder “. United States Department of Veterans Affairs. May 2007. Accessed November 4, 2008 <http://ncptsd. va. gov/ncmain/ncdocs/ fact_shts/fs_older_veterans. html> Vonnegut, Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron”. West Valley College. September 2005. Accessed November 4, 2008 <http://instruct. westvalley. edu/lafave/hb. html>

Every generation is known to embody different beliefs. Older generations believe deeply in their culture about how a man is the breadwinner and the woman is the housewife. However, in this generation, everyone is equal and has the freedom and the rights to do as they wish. The aged generations also believed strongly in religion by worshiping and praying. But, the current generation seems to be adapting atheism due to the development in knowledge and understanding of things better. My parents believe that staying home is a pleasant thing; however my generation assumes that having a social life is an important aspect.

Back in my parents’ days, social life existed in form of dinners and functions with other families. But these days’ people like to party and dance. Talking about freedom, parents always try to prevent kids from travelling and exploring new things. This generation finds exposure to new things a way to gain knowledge and experience such as: People these days like to visit various places to explore comparing to older generations that dedicated their life to one place. People change at a considerable rate over time, and this pattern continues as new ideas and generation approach.

Lifestyle has experienced a whole new level of technological advancements that has changed our daily lifestyle. Communication system has experienced a new transformation. A century ago, people used mail, telephones that took a fair amount of time to get the message through, but now things such as texting, social networking have made life very straightforward. Technology has advanced expeditiously that we can see each other from different parts of the world with devices such as a webcam. The idea of virtual life has been introduced with the invention of consoles such as the Ps3, Xbox.

The world has developed so much with things such as the internet where you can find anything or buy anything with the click of a button. Comparing that to older times where you went to far away towns after months to get a few items just sounds ridiculous and shocking. In conclusion, technology has changed the way people live and will continue to do so with the development of new ideas. The values and ethics from the past generations usually provide a better understanding of life compared to todays. Culture and family can only be taught by someone that has experience and can share with the current generation such as our parents.

Each generation has a valuable belief and is beneficial to each differently such as: Experiencing the outside world may provide better understanding for one, but the other may find it better to stay home and acknowledge things. Each generation also has loopholes that are unacceptable such as the comparison of men and women and also teenagers drinking & partying to be a part of their society. Values are not just important things that are meant for people to be followed and respected. Values show how one discovers the real himself and live their life by going through the stages of beliefs and lifestyle.

Baby boom is generally referred to the 18 years period from 1946 to 1964 that saw the birth of around 76 million babies in the USA. Today the baby boomers forms almost one third of the total American population and they have been instrumental in changing USA in cultural, societal and political ways (Russell, 1987, 27). Baby boomers have been different from their preceding and succeeding generations in their philosophical and political outlook and hence critically affect the US policy as they mature and take important posts in academic, political and business realms.

Baby boomers: Social and Political Outlook As the baby boom generation approaches middle and older ages, its voice and opinion would carry tremendous weight in affecting US policy and politics trends (Boulard, 2000). As the baby boom generation is generally affluent, politically and socially conscious and a distinct philosophical outlook, they carry a very powerful voting force with them, compelling state legislators to listen to them.

Baby boomers carry the crucial political weight more because the generation X, the generation that is in its 20s and 30s today, lacks enough political enthusiasm and motivation to seriously consider their voting rights. On the other hands, the maturing and graying baby boomers have started to show better understanding of social causes, taxes, and education and hence become active participants in construction of political voting patterns. Older and Younger Baby Boomers Baby boomers, being born over a period of 19 years, do not constitute one single generation.

Instead, they are two distinct blocs within the baby boomers themselves, that have traditionally differed in their attitude and outlook major issues affecting politics and society. Baby boomers born between 1946 and 1955 are called as older baby boomers, while those born after 1955 to 1964 are referred as younger baby boomers. Older baby boomers have inclined to be less materialistic, more philosophical, drawn to social causes and have advantage over younger generation in taking up best jobs and greater economic prosperity.

On the other hand the younger baby boomers have been typically hard boiled, concerned with money, less interested in social and political cause and preferred leisure over work (Russell, 1987). However, despite their ideological differences, together baby boomers constitute a massive force with huge economic leverage and power in shaping USA’s destiny. According to MetLife Mature Market Institute’s Demographic profile of American baby boomers, the baby boomers have combined annual spending power of more than $ 2 trillion, making them economically and financially most well off segment in USA.

Future Implications By 2030, the baby boomers will be in the age group from 66 to 84, making up 20 % of the total American population. With their immense economic power and concern about their old age security, they will cast determining affect on government policies. It is natural to expect that the aging baby boomers will support a government that is more attuned to their aging needs, security, health- care services, insurance services, tax rebates structure, pension policies, and issues concerning welfare of their families and children.

Baby boomers, have a full spectrum of political views. As a group they have shared values of their parents, they are generally patriotic, and moderate in their social views. They voted two to one for Ronal Reagan in 1984 presidential elections (Light, 1988). In general baby boomers would be against the baby buster generation that succeeded them and each one of them would claim to generational identities and form distinct political block (Torres Gil, 1992, 137).

It is likely that baby boomers will display generational identification and cohesion and hence the competition they are likely to enter with the younger generation would be along electoral strength and taxation. With their 76 million votes, it is unlikely that there is any conceivable political force can afford to overlook their demands, if they decide to vote on common issues affecting them (Torres Gil, 1992, 137). Reference Boulard, G. (2000). Challenges of a New Century. State Legislatures.

Volume: 26. Issue: 1. Publication Date: January 2000. Page Number: 12. Demographic Profile. Mature Market Institute. Accessed on web 11. 14. 2006. http://www. metlife. com/WPSAssets/34442486101113318029V1FBoomer%20Profile%202005. pdf Light Paul. Baby Boomers. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1988. Russell, C. (1987). 100 Predictions for the Baby Boom: The Next 50 Years. Basic Books: New York. Torres-Gil, F. M. (1992). The New Aging: Politics and Change in America. Auburn House Paperback: Westport, CT.