Still Bridging the Generation Gap

“For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.” by Kahlil Gibran

Growing up with older siblings, I was often introduced to somewhat more mature subject matter at an early age. Though unsure exactly what age I was when I first read Kahlil Gibran, I clearly remember reading and forming my own interpretation of the wisdom he passionately shared through his writings.

Much of the subject matter was beyond my then comprehension, but when reading his writing On Children, it occurred to me that maybe still being a child I knew better than he. Knowing beforehand that adults would abandon their innocence and eventually forget their youthful thoughts, I was determined to commit these words to memory, thereby resisting that change and proving this great writer mistaken — at least on this particular subject. I thought there was a choice.

But time moves on, and the generations through a natural process do vary in their worldview. Though we may desperately try to cling to our youthful innocence, change is inevitable. Just as our bodies silently grow as we sleep, so do our thoughts mature. Many years since my first reading of Kahlil Gibran, I now know that his insight and wisdom was indeed beyond my childhood understanding.

It seems that Beloit College in Wisconsin is astutely aware of the potential gap between the generations of its arriving freshmen and those professors attempting to connect with and educate them. Each year, in an effort to create awareness among its staff of the mindset of those arriving students, a list of “that was then, this is now” is put together.

Having recently taken several college courses myself, I, too, found similar differences in my own life experiences and the mindset of the much younger students, as well as the younger professors. With college enrollment substantially increasing among students in the 50-plus age group, perhaps a list of differences should be made regarding that group as well.

For now, so you can identify with your possible study or lab partners, here is the newest 2006 list for the typical arriving freshmen:

• The people starting college this fall across the nation were born in 1989.
• They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
• Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
• Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.
• The CD was introduced the year they were born.
• They have always had an answering machine.
• They have always had cable.
• They cannot fathom not having a remote control.
• Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.
• Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
• They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
• They can’t imagine what hard contact lenses are.
• They don’t know who Mork was and where he was from.
• They never heard, “Where’s the Beef?”, “I’d walk a mile for a camel,” or “De Plane, Boss, de plane.”
• They do not know who shot JR or even who JR is.
• McDonalds never came in styrofoam containers.
• They don’t have a clue how to use a typewriter. (Much less carbon paper or the smell of mimeographed copies)

More Kahlil Gibran:

On Teaching: “For the vision of one man lends not its wings to another.” Kahlil Gibran

On Time: “…yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream.” Kahlil Gibran

On Houses: “Your house shall be not an anchor but a mast.” Kahlil Gibran