What is the cause of the “generation gap”, which refers to the different values, attitudes, and behaviors between members of older and younger generations? Al shares his own experience and offers his insight into the topic. Transcript in comment section below.

Transcript: [id: Al is sitting at a desk signing his story. In the background is a corner , with the walls decorated with framed plaques and photos.]

Ageism means different things. I’m going to talk about the difference between younger and older generations, and why younger generations typically ignore or resist older generations. I will share my personal experience and try to remember how I used to think in my younger days. Today, as an older person, I look back at my past and my mental stage at that time.

Let me give you an example. I had just turned 22 when I got married. I envisioned that growing up and becoming adult meant getting married, having a house, having children, cars, and a steady job. So, I went through college, got married, and I had just turned 22. By the time I was 24, I had two children, a house and two cars, a good job as an engineer for the Navy department.

My parents loved my wife, Debbie, but they did caution me not to get married too young. They said I needed to experience life first. I dismissed their concerns though, because I thought I knew it all. I went ahead and got married.

Sure enough, as time went on, my wife, Debbie, and I disagreed about life. We had married young – we were the same age – and we were on different paths. We outgrew each other…not outgrew - we grew in different ways.

Now, looking back, when I look at my children – my grandchildren – who are 24, 25 and 30, I look at them and think “25?” - they can’t be married and a father like me. When I was their age I already had two children. I’m like, “please take your time.”

The reason I didn’t listen to my parents is because I thought I knew it all at that time. In the process of growing up, maybe I was willing to take risks. Look at skiers, for example. The younger ones fly down the slopes recklessly. If they break a leg, they think their parents will take care of them. If they miss school, they are happy. They won’t be missing work. As they get older and older, their responsibilities increase. If they break a leg while skiing, they will miss work, which means missing a paycheck, which means missing a mortgage payment. The more responsibilities they have, the more careful they become.

Is that the reason older people are more cautious, because they know of the potential consequences? While younger people brush them aside and are risk-takers who don’t think about possible consequences. We have to live through experiences to know what consequences will be. Maybe that’s the reason we have the generation gap between younger and older people. That’s my perspective.

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