Ooops, no signal today and tomorrow due to safety precautions being undertaken by our security services during the Sinulog festivities. For our generation, it is very easy to say we can live without technology because we used to do it. When there is no internet or mobile services and the newer generation complains and rants, we are too quick to judge them as senseless human beings incapable of surviving the world without going through some sacrifices. We quickly compare how, back in the days, we were able to navigate the world without GPS and mobile voice and data services. That was then, this is now.
What are we missing? We are missing the point that as time moves and the world advances, our methods and mindsets advance too. Let us not be too quick to call our kids dumb and short of common sense. I remember my Mom used to tell me that I am being too lazy because I always took a ride going from one place to another wherein they had to walk for hours. I always hear of stories where we had a more privileged mindset because we wouldn’t drink from the faucet while in their time they had to drink from a spring near a river. The list can go on but one thing is clear, the pattern is the same. Every generation, something will always be different and in a lot of ways better than what we used to have… but the previous generation will always think of the better days of the past.
Today, we always compare ourselves to the newer generation. We have this sweeping generalization that we raised lazy children with a privileged mindset and attitude. Weren’t we the same? Let us not forget to factor in the fact that back in the days, that was how we were trained with the tools that were available to us. Our kids are trained the same way, navigate the world with the tools that are available to them. We reinforce this as we all want what is best for our children. Are my kids lazy and think that they can get everything their way? No. Like us when we were younger, sometimes we get what we want and sometimes we don’t.
So today, let’s enjoy our time together and instead of telling our children that they are dumb and lack “common sense”, let us teach them how to survive the chaos and share with them our experiences so that they may understand why we think the way we do. If they aren’t as resourceful as we once were, they wouldn’t have figured out ways to communicate using tools such as FireChat even if there is no signal. Our kids are creative and resourceful, just as we once were.
