Talking about differences between old an new generation, it will be helpful

to identify two distinct sources of difference. These are the difference due to the
difference in age, and second is the difference in the culture and environment as it
existed at different periods of time.

The older generation has lived longer and has more experience. They have enjoyed
and got bored with many things, that younger generation is still busy enjoying. There
is also difference in the responsibilities they have. Middle aged people not only have
to manage their career, they may also have to look after their children and parents. In
comparison children still completing their education have only their study to bother
about. They still not had the chance to find out how much better their parents and
teachers are from their bosses. The nature of such differences has remained the same
over the ages.

The difference from the second source shows a much greater variability as we
compare them down the ages. When the pace to technology was slow and ways of
living did not change much from generation to generation. But today with the very
high rate of growth of technology, the cultures and living styles across the world are
changing very fast. Thus today there is much more differences between generations a
compared the past.

The new generation today has much wider knowledge due to greater exposure to a
wide range of information through TV and Internet. However, they lack depth in their
knowledge and understanding. Also, younger generation is more technology savvy
because being young they learn to use new technology faster.

There are also many psychological and sociological changes taking place among
younger generation. The seem to have less concern for the long term view, and seem
to care less about long and lasting relationships. Also they seem to care more about
the external looks and less about stuff below the surface. This is true for their choice
of things as well as of people.

Cultural generations are cohorts of people who were born in the same in the
same date range and share similar cultural experience. The idea of a cultural
generation, in the sense that it is used today gained currency in the 19
th
century. Prior
to that the concept generation had generally referred to family relationships, not
broader social groupings. In 1863, French lexicographer Emile Litter had defined a
generation as, all men living more or less at the same time.

However, as the 19
th
century wore on, several trends promoted a new idea of
generations, of a society divided into different categories of people based on age.
These trends were all related to the process of modernizations, industrialization,or
westernization, which had been changing the face of Europe since the mid-eighteenth
century. One was a change in mentality about time and social change. The increasing
prevalence of enlightenment ideas encouraged the idea that society and life were
changeable, and that civilization could progress. This encouraged the equation of
youth with social renewal and change. Political rhetoric in the 19
th
century often
focused on the renewing power of youth Influenced by movement such as Young
Italy, Young Germany, Sturm und Drang,the German Youth Movement, and other
romantic movements, By the end of the 19
th
century European intellectuals were
disposed toward thinking of the world in generational terms, and in terms of youth
rebellion and emancipation.

Two important contributing factors to the rapid change in mentality were the
change in the economic structure of society. Because of the rapid social and family
authority than they had been. Greater social and economic mobility allowed them to
flout their authority to a much greater extent than had traditionally been possible.
Additionally, the skills and wisdom of fathers were often less valuable than they had
been due to technological and social change .During this time, the period of time
between childhood and adulthood, usually spent at university or in military service,
was also increased for many people entering white collar jobs. This category of people
was very influential in spreading the ideas of youthful renewal.

Another important factor was the break-down of traditional social and
regional identifications. The spread of nationalism and many of the factors that
created it (a national press, linguistic homogenization, public education, suppression
of local particularities ) encouraged a broader sense of belonging, beyond local
affiliations. People thought of themselves increasingly as part of a society, and this
encouraged identification with groups beyond the local.

Auguste comte was the firs philosopher to make a serious attempt to
systematically study generations. In Cours de philosophie positive Comte suggested
that social change is determined by generational change and in particular conflict
between successive generations. As the members of a given generation age, their
instinct of social conservation becomes stronger, which inevitably and necessarily
brings them into conflict with the normal attribute of youthinnovation. Other
important theorists of the 19
th
century were John Stuart Mill and Wilhelm Dilthey.

What Is The Generation Gap?

"A disconnect between members of one generation and members of the next based on
the later generation developing habits, attitudes, and preferences inconsistent with the
experience of the former."



Generation gap refers to the differences in ways of thinking and behaving that
exists between older people, considered to be from the earlier generation, and the
younger people, considered to be from later generations. This often leads to lack of
communication and understanding between people of different generations.
These different thinking of the people are shaped by the environment they face and the
experiences that they go through. Particularly the impressions formed in the earlier
years of the life are more enduring than the ones formed later in life. Thus the
impressions and feelings developed by older generation do not change that easily with
changing times. At the same time the younger generations that have never been
exposed to the environment of faced by the earlier generation are no able to appreciate
the impact of such environment. For example, people who lived through the
depression learnt to put great importance on material possessions and financial
security. Most people who grew up in later periods had no idea of what it is like to
have to struggle for money and job. They felt baffled by the great importance put by
their parents on material possession and financial security. This resulted in kind of
generation gap that developed during 1960's.

Mechanical -life, ultra-modern technology, innovations in education, adaption
with global-market, and compulsion of rejecting the moral -values, are the reasons of
generation -gap. The parents are helpless to teach their wards in their own ways.
From nursery to primary -schooling the children grow with the changing models of
education, and culture. We board them in a super-fast train, the train runs; they see
different stations, and passengers. While they alight from the train, they discover
themselves in a new province.
If any generation gap happens, it is in the elders, not in the young-ones. For example a
man of forty, gets dismayed about his values, witnessing the last twenty-changes. He
by no way can accept the "go as you like" the present.

From the above discussion it is clear that neither young or old generation could
be held responsible for the generation. It is the changing environment, faced by
different generation that causes generation gap. If at all we have to hold one of the two
generation responsible, I would choose the older generation, as they have greater
power to shape the thinking of their children. The elders could also take special care to
educate younger generation on their past and its effect on their thinking.




Generation gap is the major reason today why parents and children are moving
away from each other. As we all know, the environment has changed, so has the life
style and with that changes the mind of children. Todays generation doesnt like
others interfering in any of their personal matters, they dont like parents ordering
them, and if they try and tell them whats wrong for them, they misbehave with their
parents. The question arises that, what is the reason behind all this. It is the parents
mistake or is it cause of the generation gap. Generation gap is basically created by the
people themselves. They dont talk to their children and share their own points of
views with the children. The point is that the parents are just so busy with their work
and jobs that they dont have time for their family and their children. And they realize
it when there has a huge distance between the kids and the parents. The point is if
parents give their children some time from their busy schedule then there would be no
such problem. At times you need to act as a friend to your children in order
understands them more nicely.
Rather than the generation gap, the lack of proper interaction between the
parents and the children is the main cause for the separation between them.
It is true that in this competitive world everyone is busy with their own work. so they
have less time to spend time with their family. But in order to have happy and
peaceful life, one has to spend time for his/her family.
A small outing once in a week, couple of movies in a month, having dinner together
etc increases the time spent between the parents and the children which reduces the
generation gap thereby leading to the closer relationship.

Parents should guide their children with their experience and children should be ready
to accept the learning.