argia.eus
INPRIMATU
The young people
Edu Zelaieta Anta 2011ko otsailaren 15

Many adults who have contact with today’s young people have, unfortunately, beautifully swallowed the intergenerational hook. In fact, as my environment becomes less youthful, comments against today’s young people begin to become more frequent. Age doesn't seem to forgive.


These harsh criticisms, which seem to be unavoidable, are, however, very similar to those issued by Socrates and Hesiod about the young people of their time (B.C. in the 5th and 8th centuries, respectively): “Today’s young people do not respect authority and are tyrants” and “I have no hope for the future of our country because young people are unbearable and terrible.” It is said that there are also testimonies of the same kind in Egypt and Babylon, which are about 4,000 years old.


The long chord of history shows that with age our view of life often tends to deteriorate. The apocalyptic message that I will have to hear several times and that has already bothered me is false: today’s young people are falling apart.
Today’s young people, however, are on a par with yesterday’s and tomorrow’s, as well as throwing the arrow at their predecessors in a few years.