Generation Cleft
Generation gap on either side, with elders or with youngsters can be a pain in pain sensitive areas. But being caught in generation cleft, with elders on one hand and off springs on the other, really leaves one emotionally and intellectually battered.Such is the plight of people like me, sandwiched between a technology challenged mother who still can manage to hold telephone receiver upside down and a son who manages to teach me a thing or two about phones and computers.
Retired elders have inclination, and all the time for emotional bondages. They need company, someone to talk to, someone to listen to their values, woes and heroics of life. On the other hand, youngsters have no time for values, woes and heroics of life. They loathe company of elders and any advice thereof. That leaves us, people caught in the cleft, aconfused lot, playing double roles, generation next to elders and dinosaurs to generation next. It sure takes some deft handling to impress upon seniors on one hand that in present day scenario of cut throat competition, time and emotions come naturally only after retirement and on the other hand trying to imbibe values and ethics in youngsters telling them that these things separate machines from human beings. I wonder why do I keep thinking about Hyde and Jackill or that my real sun sign should have been Gemini.
Take me out and previous and next chapters of my life are a hit with each other. They have plenty of both, time and inclination, to have great fun at my cost. Both fight with me for diagonally opposite reasons and complain about each other, but when they are together, I become totally optional. I too like to sit on the fence and enjoy the bonhomie. Its much better choice because then every face has a smile, they are happy with each other and I happy left out. Its fun watching kids tell their grandmother how to operate phone, remotes and doing little errands for her. And grandma not yelling at kids for the reasons that would have warranted full steam blasts for me. Where does that leave me? I get my satisfaction from the fact that in the family tree I am the indispensable link between the generations on my either side !
Dec 6,2006.