The Age Gap

 

The age gap between the generations these days seems to be wider than ever before. When we were young there were two types of people - the young and the old. And to a great extent there was some kind of respect, or reverence, from one to the other. The old were revered and sometimes admired for what they had gone through in life; and the young were seen as the new hope and promise of better days to come.

I remember as a 21 years old an older person saying, "I feel sorry for you. Look what we've left you. Nuclear weapons everywhere, nations who hate each other, and the potential of world annihilation. I hope you do a good job at surviving."

Well, somehow we survived. But what have we got now? Some say the world is a better place, others would disagree; but that's not what we're discussing here.

We have a situation where there are many age gaps amongst us. Those in their teens and early twenties view anyone in their thirties and forties as old. And those in their thirties and forties see anyone over sixty as old; whereas anyone over seventy is truly ancient and belonging to the Jurassic Period.

In the Western world at least, the old are tolerated and sometimes envied because of their relative wealth compared to the youngsters of today struggling to find a job and make ends meet. 

In some cases the old are despised and blamed for the state of the world today. Whether environmentally, economically, politically or in any other way; it is always the fault of the "old" it seems for the state of the world.

And from the elderlies' point of view, do they always see the future generation with hope? Do they see them making a better job than we have? Perhaps not always so.

From my point of view, I acknowledge that the younger generation has it more difficult than we have had. 

For the first time ever in history it seems that the young of today, as a generation, will not grow up wealthier than their parents. 

Competition is much fiercer these days, not just amongst nations but also with technology, computerisation, automation and AI there will simply be less work to go around for a growing world population. 

You can see signs in your towns with many supermarkets introducing self-service check-outs for you to scan and pay for your own shopping, and many factories using less manpower as they introduce robots which do not take a tea break or sick absence and vacations. I'm sure you can think of similar examples.

But it is not in the socio-economic field that I am concerned. 

It is instead because perhaps for the first time ever we have a growing number of people, (again, in the Western world at least), who have distanced themselves from their Maker. 

Belief in God is waning. In some cases it is mocked and derided; and replaced by a new deity referred to as "The Universe" or "Nature" or such vague terms reminiscent of a time when people worshipped planets, mountains and volcanoes in search for some "thing" they believed controlled their destiny.

Yet, in my concerns, I have hope. Perhaps not so much in the next generation, but in an Almighty God, Who will help them and encourage them to grow and flourish, as He did us when we were their age.    

That man who was sorry for me when I was 21 had not counted on God being there to protect me and my contemporaries. 

That very same God is still here. Unchanging, loving and caring for every one of His creations. 

No matter what happens in future, He will be by their side to guide them ... if they let Him.