Don't Compare, Look Within

The issue is not that we consume more than our grandparents did, the issue is when we link our identity and self-worth to our lifestyle

- By LARISSA FERNAND

When I listen to parents and older adults talk, I notice that they often comment about young people lacking in respect for authority, and bemoaning the case of them having no desire to read.

In the world of doom scrolling, Instagram reels and podcasts, picking up a book is not as commonplace as it used to be. Complaining about the young is a longstanding tradition. Remember, Aristotle too commented on Greece's young people: "They think they know everything, and are always quite sure about it."

However, the reverse holds, too. I have seen posts on social media of people comparing themselves with their grandparents or parents in context of money not going very far.

They will be along these lines: "Just one lifetime ago, our grandparents were able to buy a home, have three to four children, live on one salary, get their children married, and live comfortably. What happened?"

The responses to "What happened?" are varied—women joining the workforce, feminism, inflation, capitalism, greedy politicians, hedonism, hyper consumption, and so on. Honestly, I don't have any answer to this. And going by the responses, there is no consensus either.

So I am going to tackle this from a different angle.

Using The Older Generation As A Benchmark Is Futile

When comparing, you can't cherry-pick one or two aspects and ignore the rest. If you insist on drawing parallels, let's go the whole hog.

Did they have OTT platforms streaming movies, music, and podcasts all through the day? Did they go to coffee shops to work? Oh wait, they would need a computer, laptop, smart TV or mobile phone for that. But they probably did not even have a B&W television or a landline phone. And certainly no coffee shops to work in.