‘And God fulfils himself in many ways’
By Madhurima

THERE has always been conflict going on between the young and the old. This is usually referred to as the generation gap. The best thing about the aged is having the experience. They have seen it all. May be, this is what that infuriates the young about their elders, always telling them ‘don’t do this’ or ‘don’t do that’ and mostly, ‘I told you so’! The young are reckless and wish to make their own mistakes and learn from them. When one is young, everything in life is unlimited — hopes, dreams, possibilities, physical energy and, most important of all, the time! The young have an endless expanse of time stretched before them.

Yet the young are impatient and do not wish to wait for tomorrow. The aged have only a few tomorrows left. Time is not on the side of the older, more experienced. They know for a fact ‘how soon the roses are going to die‘ and keep reminding the young again and again. But the young refuse to be dettered by this. If youth is marked by over confidence-- verging on brashness--age tends to be over cautious and wary. Age has no illusions whereas the young hate to be disillusioned. Age and youth seem to be poles apart and there hardly appears to be any meeting ground. But, aren’t these two, important facets of life? Each has its own rewards to offer, apropos Schopenhauer, "the first forty years of life give us the text, the next thirty supply the commentary on it." But usually it becomes very difficult for us to strike a balance. All of us know that all that glitters is not always gold, yet the world tends to tilt in favour of the young, celebrating the oft repeated ‘the days of our youth are days of glory’.

The world today is poised at the brink of the new millennium — ushering out the old and ushering in the new. These are important times heralding significant changes. The whole mood is upbeat. There is a heady madness in the air which seems to be catering exclusively for the young. The young people never had it so good. There is a flood of consumer products in the market aimed strictly at the young. Newspapers and magazine are bringing out special sections, supplements etc (even at the risk of appearing silly!) for the pleasure of the young who, at present, happen to be the uncrowned kings and queens. The Idiot-Box is offering scores of game shows, chat shows and serials. Films are being made to entice the younger audience. Discos, night-clubs, eating places, pubs etc. have mushroomed all over the place where only the young are welcome. This is being done not for the young or the youthful but for the very young, who are generally referred to by the olders as ‘the kid’. The college-going, or even the school-going kid, is the target. Anybody beyond 25 is ancient or crabbed.

It is, therefore, ‘yuppee’ and ‘youhoo’ time! And, the slogan is ‘everything new, fresh and young is welcome!’ New ideas, new values, a new look, new clothes, new ways of expressing pleasure, new ways of expressing displeasure are in. This is the reason that these days the trends are changing so quickly. So, the message stands loud and clear, "All ye oldies of the world move on ! Here we come the real (the new!) masters of the world !"

Where does this leave the (older) old or even the young (olds)? Does all this glitz, gloss and jazz over youth power add to their life and happiness or, on the other hand, it makes them feel even more tired and saddened emotionally and physically? Does it sound like music or brings in a fresh whiff of air and colour to their world- weary ears and eyes? Doesn’t it succeed further in intimidating the old, who are already exhausted, fighting the bitter-sweet battle of life ! Do they feel left out or their chests puff up with pride as they see their young ones doing ‘Geris’ or ‘discoing’?

According to a senior professor in the university, "This celebration of youth is not a newthing. It is indeed the golden time of one’s life and the young should be given importance as well as recognition but what I am against is the commercialisation of the youth. Vested interests are using them as a consumer product and the young are vulnerable."

A mother of teenage children said that it was a pleasure to see her young ones growing so happily. "They appear so alive to life and are full of a joie de vivre. But, yes, seeing them does make me aware of my age. It is very difficult to be in step with the young all the time at my age. Moreover, even if I could, I’ll feel ridiculous."

Her daughter was quick to add, "What are you talking about? I am not even aware that I am the centre of any such ‘hoopla’. In fact, I am so weighed down by worries about my future and career! Where is the time to celebrate?"

Indeed, youth today is even more aware of life, its tensions and burdens. Our children today grow into old adults, without enjoying the pleasures of youth.What a pity!