In most societies, it’s common for older people not to trust the judgement of younger people. The reason usually given is that youth lack experience. And this is true — young people don’t have the same amount of experience. But this reasoning never satisfies me because it ignores some of the insight and courage of younger generations.
Working with young people most of my professional life, I’ve observed an increase in criticism of millennials and the generation after them, Generation Z. I see this on social media and hear it in my conversations, and I feel this attitude has become more extreme.
In recent years as the confusion and problems of the world have increased, younger generations are getting more than their share of criticism. Many Baby Boomers wonder if there will be enough workers to take caBadi re of them when they have to depend on the services that should see them throughout their lives. At the same time, millennials and Generation Z wonder if there will be any future at all for them.
I think millennials are not following in the footsteps of older generations because the world’s problems have led them to believe that they alone understand the gravity of the situation. After all, it directly affects them. They are the ones who have to solve it. In that way, I say, thank God they are not like my generation.
My aim is not to discredit the Baby Boomers, my generation, or the generations that came before. We worked hard and attained some significant achievements, but sadly it often feels like those were mainly material achievements, and some of them came at a great price. The mistake that was made was an overemphasis on achieving wealth at any cost, believing that wealth signified progress.
What previous generations missed — and what we are still missing — are the spiritual and moral goals to offset the damage created by an excess of material progress.
“For man two wings are necessary. One wing is physical power and material civilization; the other is spiritual power and divine civilization. With one wing only, flight is impossible. Two wings are essential. Therefore, no matter how much material civilization advances, it cannot attain to perfection except through the uplift of spiritual civilization”. – Abdu’l-Baha
This lust for material progress has brought us to such a critical state that younger generations feel there will be no future left for them to enjoy. Their cries and protests can now be heard all over the world.
I am very clear about my attitudes towards young people and have devoted my energies to encourage and support them in any way possible.
The world’s present problems are overwhelming and beyond our generation’s capacity because our solutions are outdated and ineffective. The world is in need of a fresh and fundamental change in its outlook and approach to tackling the ever-increasing crises of the world.
I believe the recent challenges of our time have awakened the youth and have brought forward many individuals that have exemplified passion, wisdom and devotion to such an extent that they inspire admiration in all. Our future depends on the tender shoulders of the millennials and Generation Z. They can certainly use all the help and support they can get from my generation to undo the mistakes that we have made.
Badi Shams is a Baha’i and a mystic at heart, whose field of interest is in economics. He has published a compilation "Economics of the Future", and also more recently the book "Economics of the Future Begins Today". He is retired from the educational system. You can read more of Badi's materials on his website www.badishams.net
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, HERE
* This article was published in the print edition of the Times Colonist on Saturday, Oct 2nd 2021
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