After reading this, my 18-year-old daughter told me, “You sound like your grandfather,” and that everything I’m about to say is what my father and his generation thought of me and my friends. I’ll leave that to you to be the judge of that. Premium Ennui for the movie “Inside Out 2” (2024). I hope more members of Gen Z put down their phones and pick up a book, or even better, a hammer. {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
My story began last Sunday when an 18-year-old came to visit me. His attitude challenged every notion I had about his generation. I’ll say more about him later, but it got me thinking about my generation (those who came of age in the ’80s) versus today’s Gen Z (ages 11-27). And I really have a lot to say about that.
My generation is the generation immediately preceding the Millennials, often referred to as Generation X. We’ve had tough but rewarding lives. We grew up in the decade of neon fashion and rock and roll. We had access to all of it because all the middle class could afford was swapping or borrowing cassettes and players.
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I believe this raised us to be a generation that understood hard work and perseverance. We learned, we memorized, we paid attention. We knew that there wasn’t a manual for everything, and the earliest YouTube tutorials were decades away.
Fast forward to today, and Gen Z seems obsessed with Instagram likes and doesn’t know what hard work is. True role models are few and far between.
In the ’80s, we had our giants. Steve Jobs in the early days of Apple, Bill Gates at Microsoft, and other stories of mavericks. Their stories reached us across the Atlantic, and we embraced it all. They were heroes.
In India, there was the craze of Kapil Dev and the World Cup victory. There was a surge in entrepreneurs and self-made professionals who changed the socio-economic landscape of the country. Think of the founders of companies like Infosys and TCS. They in turn let strong-willed men and women through their doors. These were not people who were waiting for change, they were people who were creating change.
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Gen Z seems to think the world should be grateful to them just for existing. They pride themselves on being tech-savvy, but they don’t believe most people can code as well as we can. Who are Gen Z’s role models? Influencers whose biggest achievement is perfecting the art of the selfie.
They live in a culture of instant gratification. If something doesn’t catch on, it’s a failure. If something doesn’t generate instant excitement, it must be abandoned.
These are minds reshaped by social media.
So what about resilience? People in the 80s are the epitome of “endure.” We had no “safe spaces” or “trigger warnings.” Life was tough. I worry that young people today seem vulnerable in comparison. They complain about minor inconveniences without making any effort to overcome them.
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Mental health and wellbeing are important, but there’s a fine line between addressing real issues and indulging yourself to the point that you become unable to weather the inevitable challenges that all living beings face in life.
Okay, so that was a bit harsh. It’s time to acknowledge that Gen Z isn’t all wrong. They’re a generation that’s more inclusive, more aware, and incredibly adaptable to an ever-changing world. If only they had better role models.
So we’re talking about the 18-year-old who knocked on my door. His hair was cut in a military style. He asked, “Hey, can I have your car keys?” I looked at him, confused. Then the man who washed my car came over and introduced me to him. The teenager was his temporary replacement.
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I had to talk to the kid.
It turns out he was studying science at a college in Mumbai and preparing to join the Army, and he and his mother needed money, so he started washing cars.
He reminded me of many of us from Gen X and generations before. Was he an exception? “You underestimate us, Dad,” my daughter said.
And like a bolt of lightning, there was a stark reminder that in a sea of digital pretensions and fleeting fame, at least some of that raw tenacity remains. Maybe it takes hardship to make it shine. I wish that wasn’t the case. I wish there was an easier way to learn life’s true lessons.
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I wish more Gen Z would put down their phones, pick up a book, or even better, a hammer and build something original, because what the world needs isn’t more influencers, but more innovators, creators, and doers.
It’s not enough to simply get carried away with pleasure-seeking and always take the easiest route. To paraphrase Gandalf, “You have to decide what to do with the time you’re given.”
(Charles Assisi is co-founder of Founding Fuel. He can be reached at assisi@foundingfuel.com)
