25 points addressed to all elders.
1. Any sane person knows that life is too busy and has too many things beyond gossips.
2. The unease of Gen past and positives of Gen present –lessons to be learnt by all elders based on observation of facts.
3. Present generation is much smarter, more intelligent, more knowledgeable, well informed and factually by all means at least far better qualified academically than previous generations besides they have a great advantage of technology.
4. Most importantly they are more humanistic, may not be culturally confirming to our belief systems or our way of viewing life or our style of living.
5. They gossip less and discuss less and less about family relatives and cousins, nephews and nieces and prefer instead to concentrate on overcoming the struggles of a highly competitive world with whatever tools and experience they have.
6. So, any unsolicited gossips about them, around them and about their dear ones or pet topics can put them off as they can become highly sensitive - rightly and understandably so.
7. I find that they are more matured to know that everyone need not agree with everyone on every issue or topic.
8. They may lack ‘experience- ascribed to chronology’ [a dubious claim] as mere additional number of years of life do not guarantee a better perspective or greater understanding ,worse still, sometimes not even guarantees mental maturity.
9. Parents and elders must be sensible not to resort to unwanted updating, constant reporting about issues the youth are sensitive at a personal and professional level because relationships matter more than reporting or gossiping or talking at the back of young generation.
10.They start to ignore or have a healthy contempt for those who provoke their sensitivities.
11.The present generation is a stressed lot and despite all the grueling competitions is fired with a belly full of energy and enthusiasm and a brain full of dreams both of which hate wasting time on all or anything that is of no relevance to them in their present track of life till the metamorphosis into a pace of life where they have the luxury of leisure time to poke their noses into others’ lives and generate useless issues to endlessly discuss.
12.All they need is if not praise or respect or not event acknowledgment for their efforts but some personal space and privacy.
13.If your child is not willing to accompany you to a wedding or a concert or a movie or reciprocate to your pointless and for them contextually not so prioritized item in their scheme of things, or is not willing to participate in any religious ritual, it is just plain that they do not want to mask with hypocritical social obligations but being politely expressing their wish and that they have chosen a particular way of life that suits them.
14.So the elders, retired persons and mentally hibernating elderly folks stop for a while, shed your egos, accept the fact that Gen present is far better equipped in many ways and many matters and try to synergize with younger folks at your own homes, among your relatives, then the society at large before sermonizing and acting as know all and judge all experts on all issues.
15.Preferably use all social media platforms to debate, discuss, disagree or agree, criticize with fairly appropriate vocabulary [because sometimes harsh terms are required] on as many topics as possible, there are a few billions in science, sociology, economics, politics etc which can enhance, educate and enlighten our lives rather than confining our thoughts to twisting statements, gossiping and creating unwanted and unpleasant controversies and carrying unwanted tales all around.
16.I love to synergize with the budding and blossomed professional youths as it helps me to see and learn about life from various perspectives as I would like to interact with elders who are rational without any parochial bias. I may disagree or even provoke but intend on having a healthy interaction.
17.I interacted with complaining parents, depressed youths and found the fault is mostly with elders.
18.Most importantly give the youth total freedom to experience life the way they want and the manner in which they can and not what you want.
19.They care very little for ritualistic attendance as a social obligation because present generation has no time and we old folks must be happy that we have more of it and must try to use most of it by giving out in any form of productive output starting from verbal communication to monetary help to physical help to psychological solace and most importantly at least listening to the their point of view as well.
20.Values are not engraved in scriptures or words we vomit as advises but expressed through our actions and suggestive solutions.
21.If youth ignore you that is not haughtiness but giving you an opportunity to enhance your way of interacting with them.
22.I have been all these in my youth and therefore respect the necessities of youth and expect the niceties of the elders and leave the rest to the vicissitudes of wisdom.
23.Share information about health issues [if you wish] and happy celebrations if you wish without forcing it on anyone.
24.What matters more in life is the mind space that is given to ideas, issues, individuals, opinions etc and the way we relate to create a happy and peaceful life rather than illogical intimidation, cursory courtesies and ritualistic observations of events.
25.While it is understandable that elders too have a right to express their views, expect to be seeking attention and enjoy sharing whatever they feel like through social media but at the same time elders must resist from misusing social media as a platform for gossips.
