Archive for October, 2010
Discovering our shattered Gen’s potential Y? Because we need to! By Victor Dirks
Oct 28th
Being in your 20’s is such a crucial stage in one’s life. At the peak of our life energy and sexuality, we have reached the level of independence where we can make conscious choices that will affect the rest of our lives. The 20’s are the age of change, not only for us as individuals but also for an entire generation. We find our own mind-structures not yet fixed and can see ourselves reflecting upon older generations and what we might do differently.
However, I ask myself, have I ever felt as if I was part of a generation as a whole? Let alone a generation that stands for anything… And here I find myself voiceless; unable to grasp any trustworthy interior structures the boomers and their echoes left me.
I’m convinced our potential to ‘think’ as a generation is present but it’s not easy in a culture that places so much value on the individual. One thing that struck me the most while sitting in the group dialogue with my Dutch Gen Y peers is that we tend to confuse a strong sense of idealism with the amount of personal connection we have with it. This fallacy leads to young people strongly defending their personal ideals without any larger context, separating themselves from each other even more.
Clearly not many, but a minority of Y’s think of idealism as being able to think beyond one’s self. They express the importance of believing it’s possible to change things for the better, to come together and unite our ideals for a greater cause! Of course these are but faint whispers in a clamor of narcissism but it gives hope to see Gen Y waking up from the individualistic nightmare. To stand strong, together and open to a larger perspective that will unite our generation, and be able to carry the responsibility that lies ahead of us.
Dialogue with young Dutch about idealism (2)
Oct 23rd
Something that really struck me was the reaction amongst almost everyone present, when a proposal was made to come together. This idea to come together, past our personal ‘ideals’ and projects, came up twice, and both times the crowds response stood out. The first time more arms flew up in the air (to say something) than the evening combined, and the second time there was the longest silence that fell that evening.
Clearly the idea of really coming together, of forming one voice, hit a nerve, one that I believe must be pointing us in a direction the (genY) ego doesn’t want to go in, and therefore probably a right one. (why else is the subtitle of this blog site: ‘come together’!
In the next evening (somewhere in november), I’m curious what our response will be to a similar suggestion. I’m also curious what will happen when I point out our subtle jerk to it ( assuming the response will be the same).
The idea of coming together, forming a front, uniting, has always compelled and convinced me, and the idea of that being a possible leverage point in overcoming our smug cynicism has been refuelled that evening. Haven’t we, as a part of the evolutionary process, been differentiating long enough? It’s time to integrate!
Dialogue with young Dutch about idealism
Oct 21st
Last Tuesday we (Patrick, Victor and me) had the rare opportunity of speaking with fellow young people about idealism and how much we willing to give up for ideals. The evening was organized by a Christian broadcast company (KRO) and cultural – political podium De Rode Hoed and will be organized every month around a different theme. Succesfull, young and goodlooking people were swarming over the place and it was a thrill to see a large group of young people interested in a better world. It was a strange but all too familiar mixture of attending an event like this because it makes you look good (and give you an opportunity of checking out other cool people) and a genuine interest in improving the world we live in. During the talk it was quite interesting to see and feel how we couldn’t yet explode in a commonly felt urge, a surge of idealism and revolution – even though everyone was paying a lot of attention, leaning forward and being guided by a skillfull presentator.
It was a bit hard to find a thread… it was a bit hard to focus on one line of thought… it was a bit hard to listen to others instead of repeating this beautifull sentence in your head that would blow everyone away and make YOU the star of the evening. It is a learning process. It is a group of young people, highly individualized but driven, with a lot of energy, time and money – who want to make a difference but have trouble finding a way in a relative world where you have to think hard on what it worth fighting for. To really look outside ourselves from a deeper care for the whole that’s within us. We’ll keep you posted on these evenings as they unfold; next month will be on the male / female roles… very exciting!!
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