Milennials and the future

This weeks topic addresses an age-old issue - the future. Every generation reaches an age when the baton must be passed - it is the natural order. Even for we Baby Boomers - time marches on. Soon the mantle will pass.

So what does the future hold? That will be up to the Millennials. The generation raised on social media, video games, and the like. The so-called me generation, perhaps the least civic-minded generation ever. As Globalization grabs a firmer grip on society, are these the people who can steer the ship? What will happen when 21st Century society collides with laws and regulations from the distant and not so distant past?

Have  we just witnessed the first collision  of those sensibilities with the recent BREXIT referendum? BREXIT passed largely on the strength of older voters - the younger generations were largely against leaving the EU. Was this the last gasp of the older  generation that was there during WWII and simply refused to stand for the loss of sovereignty EU membership entailed?

Change is inevitable. Too much change in to short a period of time can be devastating. There was a great book I read in college by the recently decease author Alvin Toffler that addressed just that - the impact of rapid change on society. 

Per Wikipedia, Toffler argued that society is undergoing an enormous structural change, a revolution from an industrial society to a super-industrial society. This change overwhelms people. He believed the accelerated rate of technological and social change left people disconnected and suffering from "shattering stress and disorientation"—future shocked. Toffler stated that the majority of social problems are symptoms of future shock. 

Millennials are the best prepared generation to deal with the rapidly changing world economy. But as the  so-called me-generation are they civic-minded enough to do what is best for everybody?   Are they correct when some Millennials suggest Baby Boomers benefited from decades of prosperity before wrecking the global economy?  Was our legacy to the young a world of inequality, unemployment and housing shortages? Is the BREXIT referendum  the latest act of foolishness by  aging boomers? Did  the older generation vote to strip the young of a cherished European identity because they feared  globalization? 

I suspect it is all partly true but I think the Millennials will sort it out. They are certainly better qualified to do so then we old folks. It is time we enjoy our retirement and let the kids take the wheel.

For Ramana's take on the subject click here