Generations: Mind the Gap

Age: Diversity or Divisiveness?

Build on the enthusiasm of youth and the experience of age.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Doesn’t it ever get old, writing headlines like “16 Things You’re Doing Wrong…” or “7 Reasons the World Thinks You’re a F*** Up”? Add age to the mix — in either direction, from “Millennials Are Killing This Thing We All Love” to “OK, Boomer” — and your article immediately gets my attention, but not in a good way.

I’ve looked at life from both sides of this fence, and it gets old, the older I get. It chafes the young, as well. The energy spent tearing one another down might better be spent on encouraging, challenging, and collaborating across all ages.

Never Underestimate the Young

I remember signing up for the March of Dimes twenty-Mile Walk-a-Thon, as a kid. I eagerly solicited pledges and particularly enjoyed the large, $1–2/mile pledges from adults I knew had sized me up and bet against me. I’ll show you, I thought. My determination grew stronger with each skeptic’s raised eyebrow.

The morning we started the walk, it was chilly — maybe 60 degrees. I was dressed in jeans, thick socks, tennis shoes, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. I carried a lightweight backpack with a different pair of shoes, and hoped to…