A great mission lies on the shoulders of today’s young generation: to save itself from the behavioral model our generation designed, of “each to themselves”, and to design its own new behavioral model of “one for the other”, which would bring much more joy and satisfaction into its life. Meaning, the great mission of the young generation is to save itself from our generation.
Our generation was supposed to offer the young generation a life of involvement and social responsibility, and instead we tell them something like: “learn to deal with depression, violence, indifference and lack of meaning, because we have nothing else to pass on to you.
What kind of world are we passing on to the next generation? What kind of society? What kind of values? This is a generation that grew into a reality of a deep ethical crisis, as had never been seen before, in all aspects of life: environment, education, interpersonal relations, finance, and particularly in the personal satisfaction aspect.
True, our generation is passing on the most advanced technology ever which will enhance the young generation’s comfort, as well as the utmost freedom for each to choose their own way. But together with these tempting things, our generation offers the young generation an inheritance of social indifference and self-involvement as well, and no one can be truly happy and fulfilled in that kind of society.
The Sad Inheritance
In the reality we pass on to the young generation there are a lot more depressed people than there ever were, much more lonely people, and much more people who do not find their place. The violence and crime rates are higher than ever before, drugs and alcohol have become culture, hedonism has become a religion and the family unit has replaced stability and security with chaos and pain.
All these have one shared reason: behavioral norms of each for themselves. And a reality of “each for themselves” cannot produce other results. These norms encompass the family, the street, the communication methods, the leaders, the educators, the culture and art pioneers. All of us, in fact. And this is the reality our generation is passing on to the next.
This is not what we were supposed to offer our children. We were supposed to offer them a way of life with social involvement and responsibility. Instead it is like we say to them: “learn to live with depression, violence, indifference and lack of meaning, because we have nothing else to pass on to you”.
Changing this reality obligates us to take apart many conceptual conventions. As a beginning we could perhaps acknowledge the fact that we, the adults, have failed on our part, and we haven’t managed to set the right example of an ethical reality for the next generation. And when we acknowledge this, perhaps we will also agree to take the necessary steps to change it, and leave this great challenge in the hands of the youths themselves, who probably know better than we do what is best for them.
This is a generation that will have to free itself from the old consciousness of wars, battles and animosity between men, and will have to discover the new one out for itself, a consciousness of reconciliation and peace with itself and with its environment. And who knows, maybe one day we will even be able to learn respect, mutual guarantee and social responsibility from the young generation.
How to Start the Change
Most of the educational programs are based on the misconception that the youth is allegedly the problem, and that the “adults” are supposed to fix the “youngsters”. We have gotten used to perceiving the youth as a group that should be taught, guided, led and fixed. A new view regarding the required change will enable the youth to move on to the front seat, and start taking its own road towards its future.
The change has to begin with our acknowledgement that the youth is not the problem, we are. And if we, the parent and the educators, acknowledge that, we will enable the youth to discover that it can do what we weren’t able to: take down social boundaries, be tolerant towards different attitudes and replace violence with closeness.
The transition from student status to leader status is a challenge that can have an infectious effect on the young generation, and it can surprise and position young leadership that will set an example of good manners and respect such as our society had never seen. One pioneer school that would elevate this is all it takes. After that it wouldn’t be difficult to recruit more and more high schools, municipalities, regional councils, youth movements.
Granot Center operates with the aim of offering the young generation the lever that would set this process in motion.