I Want To Write My Random Thoughts And Feelings
I was thinking: why do different generations of people always end up fighting and arguing with one another over what's true or right?
I think one of the main underlying reasons is that we eventually live long enough to see outside reality clash with our memories, and the world we once knew - or thought we knew - starts to look more and more alien and unfamiliar to us. It's only natural then that we would seek to defend and preserve the idea of our once-familiar world, to shield it from harm and alterations...
The interesting thing about this process is that it will eventually happen to all of us at some point or another. It's just a matter of living long enough to see it. Right now, our current youth of today have a familiar sense of the world. Everything feels normal and in accordance with itself. Fast-forward 20-30 years, however, and suddenly that place we grew up in as a kid now looks vastly different from how we remember it. Those around us have changed and evolved with the times, as have other things as well; towns, cities, technology, beliefs, social trends, etc. The process appears to be both slow and fast at the same time; slow to actually happen, but fast upon us realizing it.
As another random, unrelated example: those born after 2001 would have no living memory of 9/11 ever happening. In itself, not very important at all. But it certainly plays a HUGE role in determining how people perceive the environment around them. I would say that not having a living memory of something taking place reduces the possibility that you will feel as strongly about it as somebody who does have a living memory of it. You can study and read-up on 9/11 happening, and you can even talk to people who experienced it first hand. But to have that first-hand experience and memory of the event yourself is irreplaceable. You simply can't get that same level of emotional connectivity from reading a book or even seeing pictures. It just isn't the same.
So we're basically just fighting over whose conception of reality is more correct, more accurate, and more moral. The generations of the youth can only truly relate to the present moment, and the old (or older) generations can only truly relate to the past (and sometimes the future). This war between different generations is the result of differing memories, of contrary world views - none of them are inherently right or inherently wrong. They're simple different to each other. That's all. And because they're different, they tend to clash in an obvious way. And because we teach ourselves that different things are bad things, we never bridge the gap between the two and see the potential value (and good) within both of them.
I think one of the main underlying reasons is that we eventually live long enough to see outside reality clash with our memories, and the world we once knew - or thought we knew - starts to look more and more alien and unfamiliar to us. It's only natural then that we would seek to defend and preserve the idea of our once-familiar world, to shield it from harm and alterations...
The interesting thing about this process is that it will eventually happen to all of us at some point or another. It's just a matter of living long enough to see it. Right now, our current youth of today have a familiar sense of the world. Everything feels normal and in accordance with itself. Fast-forward 20-30 years, however, and suddenly that place we grew up in as a kid now looks vastly different from how we remember it. Those around us have changed and evolved with the times, as have other things as well; towns, cities, technology, beliefs, social trends, etc. The process appears to be both slow and fast at the same time; slow to actually happen, but fast upon us realizing it.
As another random, unrelated example: those born after 2001 would have no living memory of 9/11 ever happening. In itself, not very important at all. But it certainly plays a HUGE role in determining how people perceive the environment around them. I would say that not having a living memory of something taking place reduces the possibility that you will feel as strongly about it as somebody who does have a living memory of it. You can study and read-up on 9/11 happening, and you can even talk to people who experienced it first hand. But to have that first-hand experience and memory of the event yourself is irreplaceable. You simply can't get that same level of emotional connectivity from reading a book or even seeing pictures. It just isn't the same.
So we're basically just fighting over whose conception of reality is more correct, more accurate, and more moral. The generations of the youth can only truly relate to the present moment, and the old (or older) generations can only truly relate to the past (and sometimes the future). This war between different generations is the result of differing memories, of contrary world views - none of them are inherently right or inherently wrong. They're simple different to each other. That's all. And because they're different, they tend to clash in an obvious way. And because we teach ourselves that different things are bad things, we never bridge the gap between the two and see the potential value (and good) within both of them.
26-30, M
