"They have exalted notions, because they have not yet been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; . . . (they) think themselves equal to great things. . . . They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones; their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning. . . . All their mistakes are in the direction of doing things excessively and vehemently. . . . They overdo everything—they love too much, hate too much." Rhetoric by Aristotle, Bk. II, Sect. 12; Does this sound like an accurate description of today's younger generation? To some it may seem so, but actually it was Aristotle's estimate of the then teen-agers of 2300 years ago. So the claim that there is a generation gap is nothing new, nor any more true now than it was in Aristotle's day.
We of more mature years are greatly interested in our young people. They're attractive and engaging. But it sometimes seems very difficult to communicate with them. It seems that the adolescent lives in one world and we in another and that "never the twain shall meet." This belief brings about suffering and unhappiness in our relations with them, whether we are parents, teachers, relatives, employers, or friends.
It is often believed that adolescence is a time of great mental and physical stress, that the metamorphosis of the individual from a child to an adult is accompanied psychologically by a sense of isolation from those of another generation, and that this separates the teen-ager from parents and older friends until he emerges into greater maturity. Today this gap seems wider than ever because the present younger generation is unique in many respects. The conditions under which today's teen-ager reached teenhood are vastly different from those experienced by any previous generation. Because of the technological advantages he has had, he is likely to be more experienced, more enlightened, more thoughtful.
