Generation Gap

Generation Gap

On March 13, 2020 my parents landed in Boston. Their original plan was to spend two months with us before they started a new phase of life, aka - their retirement. Thanks to the Corona virus, who does not seem to budge or get bored of spreading, my parents are still here.

These few months have been an enriching experience for all of us. We count it as a blessing to have them around and also a rare opportunity for them to see our clamorous lifestyle. There is just one little issue that seems to come in our face every then and now ... The Generation Gap. Roughly 30 years apart, I have my intellectual Dad, then my welcoming GoodMan and finally my tender hearted Son.

I never realized how much the world is different for each of them until now. One grew up when most countries had only become independent very recently or were still struggling with their fight for independence. Another grew up with inherent rights and responsibilities. And the youngest one was born with the World at his finger tip. Although they are all on the same planet, they all have seen and lived a different life. Hence, their opinions are drastically different from one another. To date, my dad never leaves a grain of rice on his plate where my son does not even blink an eye over his unfinished lunch.

Generation gaps form when two age groups begin to see the world from significantly different perspectives.

A generation gap is a difference in philosophies and the way of life between generations. My teen wakes up in the "afternoon" and chooses not to brush before breakfast whereas his Grandpa comes to the breakfast table only after shaving and taking a shower every single day. Binge watching a new series is a routine for the young one while the wiser one can't even complete a movie in one sitting. Yes you read it right, my dad watches the first half of any movie one day and the second half, the following day. Movie theater is the only exception to this.

Generation gap refers to differences in actions, beliefs, interests, and opinions that exist between individuals from different generations. So, what causes these differences? The logical rationale is due to the drastic changes in the lifestyle of the common man in different decades. The changes in technology alone have been beyond belief. My dad did not have a TV in his home until he was 20 years old. My GoodMan had his first cell phone when he was 20, which quite frankly was barely of any use anyway. The calls were so expensive and it had no other features initially. My son, on the other hand, still thinks it is unfair to have parental controls on his phone.

The most interesting part of the day is when everyone gathers for supper. My dear dad has had roughly the same Indian meals for the past 71 years and yet happily relishes it. In contrast, my Prince hasn't even had it for 17 years and is grumpy about it every day. Although the doctor at the table is my dad, my children restrict him from adding salt to anything and remind him about how it affects blood pressure. Silly thing because my father does not have high blood pressure :)

Generation gap is all around us and happens all the time. In the business world, understanding them is crucial because without knowledge of how a market thinks, it is much harder to provide goods and services that fit needs and lifestyles. My father can repair and fix almost anything in the house whereas my son will casually say, "Why can't we just buy a new one?"

My son can play Xbox in his sleep while my father can read a newspaper through and through. My father is the encyclopedia that I referred to as a child and my son has Google Home for all his questions. My kids cannot understand why their grandparents take a nap every day after lunch and my father cannot fathom why my son takes more than an hour to shower each and every day. The junior guy doesn't even make his bed daily and the senior guy offers to vacuum the whole house every day.

In all of this, the most surprising thing is that even though they both are poles apart, they are both on the same team. It hardly seems like a Generation Gap rather a Generation Bridge which is probably built with love, patience and admiration for each other.

Sam Levenson put it correctly ... "The reason grandparents and grandchildren get along so well is that they have a common enemy."

You guessed it right, my GoodMan is the sandwich in between these two. He is the one who can't wrap his head around both of them. When he plays Xbox with our son, he can't keep up with the controls and when he watches a movie with my father, he has to pause and explain what is happening so far in the story. According to my dad, my GoodMan is spending lavishly on a comfortable lifestyle and according to my son, he isn't even fulfilling his most basic needs. There is no winning here.

The fact is that grandparents have valuable, timeless experience. Not only did they raise us, and did a fabulous job I might add, they view the world differently than us as parents. They are willing to listen and learn. Their patience and love is at a level higher than most of us. The older generation offers a vast range of knowledge that they have gathered over the years. The younger generation is filled with hopes and dreams for the future. They are both invaluable assets to the world.

We are constantly learning from history and building a new world based on our imagination. Both go hand in hand. We can never settle and are persistently evolving. Each generation brings a new wave of life and we must learn to adjust our sails.

Generation gap is the widest in the fashion industry … Just saying ;)

~ MG