Time is changing. It’s claimed to be the time of the ‘ME’ generation. ‘ME’ refers to the young people in the world. Is it also the case in our city? Write an article for your school magazine to voice your views. Give it a title.
‘ME’ — Mature Enough?
In recent decades, a new phrase describing a group of people has popped up in the world. It is the ‘ME generation’, colloquially referring to the youngsters belonging to the post-80’s, 90’s and even 00’s. Our society has started to point the finger of blame to the generation, lamenting their laziness, irresponsibility and insubordination. While some defend the view, saying the opposite, it is worth thinking about why our society will see this generation, including our age group, this way.
To commence with, narcissism is the culprit. What is it? Generally, it means by the over admiration on one’s own ability. The youth today see themselves as the pillars of society because the labour force is relying on them, thereby being arrogant and ignorant. As there have been increasingly more university places for secondary school students, the chance of getting in a university has been higher than decades ago. Graduates tend to consider themselves as more capable than the elder workers, wishing that they could be promoted to senior positions easily after working for several years. As a result, they leave a negative image to others in the workplace as well as society.
Another reason leading to the blame is the parenting style. Due to the exorbitantly high cost of living nowadays, parents gravitate towards giving birth to only one child. Giving the best to their children seems to be the job of most of the parents all the time. A recent sharing by Dr. Joseph J.Y. Sung in the China Bible Seminary actually pinpoints the current phenomenon in a precise and concise way. What he said is that some teenagers think they are entitled to succeed and are fated to reach their goals. This leads to a whimsical result that some teens blame others whenever they fail or lose. Failing to cope with flops, the generation has been thought to be too immature.
Apart from parenting style, another exterior factor, friendship, also contributes to the rise of the ‘ME’ generation. Living in a similar social environment, teenagers suffer from akin problems, for example, academic, family, love affairs and the like. Some of them see things from the same perspective and this
makes more and more teens follow the culture. Unfortunately, the culture is really sick. Having fun with friends is enjoyable but having too much fun is taking its toll on one’s determination and discipline. Not walking out from the comfort zone is a case in point. It is true that working together with friends is more relaxing, but walking the extra miles, on the other side, can broaden one’s horizons. This is what some teens miss in the workplace, which leads to the blame and frustration.
While it is saddening to see the current situation, we should never watch it with folded arms because we are also one of the teens in the ‘ME’ generation age group. What could be done to rectify the situation?
Undeniably, we have to change our mindset that having a higher chance of entering a university does not mean we are capable. It is always important to respect the experienced and learn from them. No one can succeed without fighting hard and facing lapses. As secondary school students, we should try to be independent. We should embrace every chance leading to success by ourselves but not depend on our parents, for instance, even to help us fill in various application forms and take different courses. Plus, never should we be afraid of making mistakes at this young age as it is the mistake which makes us improve and fine-tune our life goals.
In a nutshell, the ‘ME’ generation will, no doubt, be the pillars of society soon, but we have to prove to ourselves and society that we deserve that chance. We thus have to be the ‘Mature-Enough’ generation instead of the ‘ME-conscious’ one. True, time is changing. Will our values and attitudes also be compromised? It is hoped not, now and ever.
Ronald Tsang Yui Long
6E 2015-16