Generational differences

I think we can all agree that the world we live in today is not nearly the same as the world that was twenty years ago. What is even crazier is that in the past twenty years, the standard of living and technological boom have been so prominent that we as the generation born in the 90's, are having a hard time adjusting to.

Sure we are technologically bred and have seen it evolve since the beginning. The problem is that we are literally the guinea pigs to this project and its ramifications. We are here to experience first-hand what it is like to have a phone that only works in black and white and then somehow evolves to the point where the phone talks to you and you can respond hands-free. It is a crazy time to live in.

However, this generation does not stop at the simple fact that technology is shaping our every day lives. No. It is so much more than that.

Our generation (and yes I mean us 90's babies) are also usually the first generation to break culture and tradition. We are the products of immigrant parents and first to create ties to a new land. Many of us are born in a country with strong tradition and end up moving to a western country with our family for better financial security. This has become the norm. Immigration is booming, the world is seeing new colours. It is an exceptional time to be living and be alive.

And so we move to a western country that is used to being accepting of many cultures, traditions, religions, ways of living. We initially experience a sort of culture shock because maybe our previous country was not very diverse or many people spoke just one language and not many. We adapt nonetheless.

And then it comes time to live. We make new friends many of them from different backgrounds than ourselves and that is great. We have debates and sometimes we do not agree with each other's opinion but that is simply because of the places we come from and the experiences we had.

And then one day we fall in love. And it is not someone from our background. It is someone of a different skin colour, with a different cultural background, and a different religion. And that becomes an issue. Our parents are used to marrying within the same culture and that has never been an issue before. While some parents might be understanding of the fact that social norms are changing, others are not.

Some kids end up wanting to please their parents and so they accept to find someone with the same background. Other kids end up threatening to cut all familial ties in order to be with their loved ones. And then some parents just accept it.

I am not entirely sure which way is the right way. What I know is one thing:

We are the first generation to pursue relationships outside of our cultural norms and it is a shit show. There really is no other way to describe it. We are the guinea pigs again just as we were for technological advancement. It is this exact action of mingling that will be the make it or break it factor towards a transparent society that is all accepting of one another. It is hard to say whether this will matter twenty years from now. Whether religion will still be relevant or just a spiritual deed. We are opening the doors to acceptance. We are trying to show that love is love on all surfaces. It does not matter where you come from or what your past is like.

The only sad thing is that, although this is a noble act for many of us, we are the experiment. We are the ones that are trying this first-hand to see if it works. It might not and maybe twenty years from now we will still be in this very spot. Wondering if love works outside of our cultural boundaries.

We are the experimental generation.