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"Living in a material world"
***Is it wrong then to infer that the material aspirations of today's children demonstrate a major shift in philosophy from our childhood days in terms of dreams and ambitions?***
THE dizzying speed of innovation and information explosion has radically transformed the concept of the 'generation gap". It s more a generation leap from the times of our youth. The ambitions and value system of our young days seem to be antediluvian compared to the aspirations of today's youngsters, known in some circles as Gen tech.
The reality hit me hard during a recent outing at my friend's farmhouse. I noticed a group of nine or ten year-old boys and girls gathered in a gazebo, intently gazing at something. 1 felt a sudden urge to try and allure them to take a stroll in the vast garden and play my favorite childhood game of guessing the names of insects and flowers. But, as I approached the group, I realized that they were all staring at their personal iPad screens - the technological marvel that enables you to be transported anywhere without moving a single step. I quickly aborted the idea of the walk because I was not sure that a red flower or a yellow butterfly could compete with the colors and shapes that are displayed on this magical device! And how can a walk with a middle-aged woman be half as exciting as playing Minecraft on the iPad?
Nevertheless, this self-imposed rebuff set me thinking. I was disappointed that these children were not at all interested in their surroundings. Even the heady fragrance of the fruit trees or the
sweet chirping of the birds did not seem to affect them in any way.
I can perhaps come to terms with the changing preferences of modern generation kids for the virtual pleasures of the iPad. But what I find hard to accept is their obsession with material things. Here are bits and pieces of conversation I couldn't help overhearing. One of the children asked: "When you grow up and have lots of money what do you want to buy? " The answers varied from video games and mansions to BMWs and Ferraris. A seemingly precocious girl proudly announced that she wanted to buy her own private jet with a swimming pool. While one could argue that this was a good exercise in freedom of imagination and expression, I was shocked that the entire discussion was about "buying," not "doing”. Looking at the group of beautiful children I wondered what had motivated a 9-year-old to want to buy a private jet! I can understand an adolescent boy's desire to own a car—but specifically a Ferrari?
When we were children a common topic of discussion was: "What do you want to do when you grow up?" I can't remember anyone having ambitions about buying mansions, but we talked about becoming famous or discovering new frontiers. As for me, I wanted to sing, write, travel, and "love" with passion. I also wanted to do something that would leave a mark in the world. I may have failed in my ambition but the fact remains that whatever I have achieved I attribute to my capacity for dreaming that I could "do" the impossible.
Is it wrong then to infer that the material aspirations of today's children demonstrate a
major shift in philosophy from our childhood days in terms of dreams and ambitions? It's not uncommon to see young people queuing up for hours to acquire the latest iPhone. But ask them to accompany you to a piano recital or a book reading and they will drum up any excuse to escape. Priorities have perceptibly shifted to satisfying material wants, instant gratification, and doing the "in thing" rather than catering to spiritual and emotional needs. I wonder if this is partly due to a lack of connectivity with nature and thus missing out on the profound lessons one learns from its wondrous beauty.
Despite my misgivings I decided to engage in a serious discussion with the children at the farmhouse about the benefits of connecting to nature, rather than focusing on worldly things. As I approached them with trepidation I heard one of them say: "Well you could buy a garage full of cars so you can choose which car to drive each day." No sooner had these words been uttered, someone retorted: "Why own a garage? We should have an iPad app that will take us on a ride in any car we want, whenever we wish. Imagine how cool that would be.* This was the turning point. I decided that a "serious discussion" with these children would be a futile exercise.
Instead, I went for a long solitary walk... and wondered: "Has the world changed drastically or am I an outlier?" The answer seems to lie not only in the changing world, but also in the changing values of the new generation.
The writer is a renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent and a former employee of the World Bank.