{"id":231,"date":"2019-05-23T20:32:41","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T20:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/?p=231"},"modified":"2019-05-23T20:32:41","modified_gmt":"2019-05-23T20:32:41","slug":"the-generational-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2019\/05\/23\/the-generational-war\/","title":{"rendered":"The Generational War"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Whether we realize it or not, we are in the middle of a generational war. In the late 60\u2019s, the parents thought the world was caving in\u2026 coming to an end. The protests, the riots, the blatant disrespect for authority. Those parents were from the greatest generation of all time. They grew up in an era when technology and music were advancing at a rapid rate. We were at war and the \u201cJitterbug\u201d and \u201cSwing dancing\u201d were springing up everywhere. So when the kids of the 60\u2019s were singing about making love and not war, the previous generation just didn\u2019t grasp it. War was a part of everyday life to them. But the youth of the day were tired of it. This dilemma is nothing new. But it still needs to be addressed.<\/p>\n

A great portion of today\u2019s youth have been told they are special for doing nothing at all. They were given trophies for losing. They would fail miserably at a task, sport, or competition and receive priceless accolades. Quickly they would not be subject to competitions at all. No one wins. Everyone participates and receives an award regardless of the level of performance. They have learned that work ethic is for \u201cold people\u201d. They weren\u2019t really into work. Maybe they show up, maybe they don\u2019t. They only chase things that \u201cspeak to them\u201d or give them a greater internal purpose. They have developed a need for instant gratification. Technology has shown them that they don\u2019t have to wait for anything. As a result, the things that actually take time, like love and relationships, suffer because if it doesn\u2019t happen quickly, well then it must not be meant to be. As a result, kids are waiting later and later to marry and instead choosing to live together for longer periods of time to reduce the level of commitment. Most of them view older people as slow, in the way, refusing to adapt, not very smart, can\u2019t relate to today\u2019s kids. As a result, they\u2019re incapable and simply refuse to benefit from anything an older person has to offer.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve personally seen this a lot towards me. I\u2019m only 43 but I\u2019m in settings where there are much younger adults involved both in music and officiating sports. I\u2019m often viewed as \u201cthe old guy\u201d that has lost his touch and can\u2019t provide any real insight to anything related to youth today. I\u2019m viewed on stage as \u201cin the way\u201d, can\u2019t play \u201ctoday\u2019s music\u201d. Anyone that knows me knows that is the furthest from the truth. I can still play\/sing, I can run up and down a court with the young guys but it takes someone who holds the key to their future to point it out. \u201cYou may want to listen to that guy. He\u2019s been there-done that.\u201d Only then do they listen. And when they do, they find that I\u2019m not completely useless…haha.<\/p>\n

The older generation of adults are no better. They\u2019ve completely written off the younger generation as worthless. They refuse to even attempt to learn today\u2019s vernacular, today\u2019s technology, and today\u2019s trends. They call all young people \u201cmillennials\u201d and that immediately is a derogatory term. They refuse to open their minds. They refuse to see the good in youth. They also sometimes struggle to get beyond their jaded bitterness towards the life they ended up with and didn\u2019t sign up for. As a result, they can\u2019t stop griping long enough to enjoy what\u2019s around them\u2026 youth! They view them as incapable of change even though most youthful people are evolving and changing every day. They have less patience for mistakes even though it\u2019s a part of everyday life. They confuse inexperience with stupidity.<\/p>\n

\"\"There simply has to be a TRUCE!<\/strong> A truce called by both sides. Young people, there is so much to learn from someone who has done \u201cLife\u201d longer than you have. Some things you can only learn through experience, something they have and you don\u2019t. \u00a0There is so much to gain from people older than you. Slow down and pay attention to what they\u2019re saying. They have been there. You lost a job? They lost several. You lost a child? They have too. Divorce? Been there. Drug abuse? They can walk you right through it. There\u2019s a saying that kids don\u2019t come with instruction manuals. But I beg to differ. The manual is called \u201cexperienced adults.\u201d If you\u2019ll tap into that manual, your guide to raising children will never let you down.<\/p>\n

\"\"The older generation has to hold up the white flag as well. Young people are our future and, quite frankly, our today. Young people are trying. They are making mistakes but they\u2019re supposed to. They\u2019re using what they\u2019ve seen work and not work and improving everything around them\u2026even church. They\u2019re more focused on changing the world for the better than maybe any generation in history. There was a study done recently that listed the top ten things teenagers in high school struggle with during high school as compared to the 1990\u2019s. In the 90\u2019s, the number one struggle was drugs and alcohol. Today, drugs and alcohol are 10th<\/sup>! Depression and anxiety are #1. The last thing you should do is write them off as useless. One key to depression is isolation. They shouldn\u2019t be able to isolate themselves. If you let them, they will. Step in. See the good they provide. Make every attempt to understand where they\u2019re coming from before passing judgment. Allow them to teach you about technology. It just might improve the quality of your life.<\/p>\n

I believe this relates directly to churches. We have youthful churches and old people churches. There really shouldn\u2019t be a distinction. They should be able to coexist. The young leaders<\/strong><\/em> should welcome and invite the older generation to be an integral part of what they do, if for no other reason than they bring wisdom to the table. Older leaders<\/strong><\/em> need to step back and allow youthful members to be involved. Their ideas need to be heard and seriously considered. If the church wants to be relevant again, it needs to embrace this concept: End the generational war. Enough division.<\/p>\n

This will take intentional effort on both parts. I urge you, if you find yourself on either side of this issue, do what you can to bridge this gap. If you really want to make the world a better place, Close. This. Gap. Don\u2019t wait for someone else to do it\u2026 YOU do it!<\/p>\n

Stay Classy GP!<\/p>\n

Grainger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether we realize it or not, we are in the middle of a generational war. In the late 60\u2019s, the parents thought the world was caving in\u2026 coming to an end. The protests, the riots, the blatant disrespect for authority. Those parents were from the greatest generation of all time. They grew up in an … <\/p>\n

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