“I was born in the wrong generation,” thought everyone before thinking.
Firstly, I want to make sure we are on the same page. To an extent, most of us are familiar with the events of modern history, and we understand every era has its pitfalls.
The following argues my thought that what we want is to experience the feeling of spending, say, an evening in a different era. Although enjoying Grand Designs, in combination with tea and biscuits, may allure the statement "I was born in the wrong generation," it is usually said without thinking of how the world operated in the time referred to. We want to live in an English castle, laze by the fire, and drink countless glasses of red wine, although we would only read fiction to take our minds off the devastating events of the British Empire.
Furthermore, music can be enchanting. I listen to music in the mornings, the evenings, and the time in between. Music has inspired me to create my own. I can easily spend hours writing melodies, only to realise days later it resembles a tune one of the Beatles had written in the 60s.
Oasis would have to be one of my favourite bands. They are at least the band whose music I am most familiar with amongst other bands such as Blur and Pulp, which emerged from the brit-pop scene in the 90s. Oasis, like most bands, had taken a lot of inspiration from the Beatles. However, I do not think there are many bands in which it is so visually obvious. In some circumstances, it appears that Liam Gallagher, the frontman, has attempted to embody John Lennon physically and spiritually. From the clothes, he wears to the name given to his second child, Lennon.
So, although John Lennon's influence on Liam Gallagher is obvious, I do not think he is suited to a different generation. Liam would probably argue otherwise, but his never-ending seek for the spotlight, ability to take life as it comes, and zero fucks given attitude were inspiring and what the working class of England needed to hear in the era. So, although Liam may have loved to witness the Beatles live, just like I would have loved to experience Oasis live, music can not entirely capture an image of what living was genuinely like at a specific time.
Edgar Wright brought this theme to life in the 2021 film ‘Last Night in Soho.’ The film follows an aspiring young fashion designer inspired by the prosperity and trendy styles London birthed in the 1960s. However, after her consciousness began to teleport to the era every night when she would close her eyes, she discovered the 1960s were much more glamorous in her imagination. Although London was swinging and a cultural revolution was emerging. The country was economically stable, and the youth movements encouraged new artistic expression providing a platform for progressive music, film, and fashion to prosper (Brett, 2008). There is no doubt today, depending on where you are in the world, society has progressively developed a more rational perspective on ethical correctness.
The point is no generation is absolute. There will always be a thorn among the roses. For example, the roaring twenties celebrated a less inhibited lifestyle and ignited an industrial revolution (Locksley, 2008), however, was also the era of prohibition, which resulted in increased gang violence and promoted the unsafe and illegal distribution of alcohol (Hari, 2015). So, if someone of my age, 22, were to travel back in time, I assume they would find the misogynistic, racist, and downright prejudiced behaviour quite shocking, and the uncertainty of the Vietnam war, the assassination of Kennedy, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to name a few, anxiety-enhancing.
That said, anxiety is no less of an issue today. The constant exposure to influencers wearing a six-pack makes it seem normal and is the foundation supporting the micro-panic attacks I frequently endure. Apart from anxiety-enhancing socials, we are experiencing some of the highest inflation rates ever, a by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic in combination with Russia's invasion of Ukraine (Mudditt, Leggatt, 2023). So, although inflation may drive us to think twice about our shopping lists, there are many benefits of living today, many of which are easily accessible and can be used to achieve financial freedom and beat inflation. For example, technology has provided us with the potential to consume infinite knowledge. We can learn everything about anything for free. All we must do is jot down a couple of words in Google (Kurdieh, 2020). The irony is, in my opinion, technology has killed our motivation to do so. The internet also provided us with the luxury to consume nonsense, and depending on who you are, how your day has been, or how burnt-out you may feel, nonsense is much easier to absorb than scholarly articles.
Click here for the pros and cons of living in the modern world.
To expand, it is only human to want what we do not have. I have an issue with the grass never being as green as I would like. I always want to be somewhere different and wish for the demeanour and qualities of someone else. For example, last year, I purchased a pair of overalls. I thought people who wore overalls were trendy, and the free-spirited, free-love and hippie culture which put the garment in the spotlight was interesting (Rotenberk, 2013). I soon realised, for me, this was a bad investment. Overalls are an unpractical-casual clothing item. From then on, I would wear them only to parties, not to the supermarket.
For this reason, I decided to hold off on purchasing a parka. I did not need one, but Liam Gallagher wears them, so I thought they must be cool. I wanted a parka for the same reason Liam Gallagher wears circular-shaped glasses, to feel liberated by another generation. However, I understood that, just like the overalls, purchasing a parka was unnecessary. It would spend most of its time collecting the dust in my wardrobe.
I would not describe myself as a hippie. As Steven Pressfield puts it, overall wearing is my shadow career, a lifestyle without reasoning (Pressfield, 2012). However, overalls are fun to wear; they are not enchanting. After slipping into them, the culture in which they were popularised, does not make me feel liberated because I am not a part of it. I now understand I was not inspired by the beliefs of the hippie movement but rather by the way they dressed.
So, I like how the cult-like community dresses. However, if I were to share identical beliefs, it would be nonsensical, as there would be no reasoning behind my values, plus I am nothing like these people. I have done very little experimenting with psychedelic drugs, I do not have unprotected sex with multiple partners, nor do I feel obliged to enjoy a carefree lifestyle, as I am certain the Vietnam War will not bring the world to an end (Campuzano, n.a.). In reflection, I want to experience the culture of a specific time while disregarding the baggage which comes with it.
So, despite how much I love nostalgic garments, they cannot rewind the clock. They do not replace my values nor provide a feeling of belonging, a temporary belonging maybe, although not the kind that lasts.
The point is, everything seems peachy on TV, not because it is, but because whoever made the program understands how people think. We highlight the industrial, artistic, or liberating peak, and we forget about the actual state of the world and the reasoning behind decision-making in the specific era.
Furthermore, every generation has its highs and lows, every era thinks theirs will be the last, and every generation wishes they were born in another. It raises the question; will our grandchildren feel the same way regarding my generation?
While looking into the future with uncertainty, it is easy to predict hopelessness for our children's children, however, the hippies also forecast the world's end, so who knows? Although there is no doubt, for too many people, the world is miserable; look no further than your local newspaper to discover this, but somehow we still manage. So, in fifty years, our grandchildren may still be able to do so.
Moreover, I predict the future will bring highly advanced medical changes. There will be new medicine to treat unfortunate, new diseases. However, many will die, although expected, as the population will exceed 9 billion (Hart, 2022), global sickness will force scientists to discover treatment faster. I am unsure of whether this is good or bad. Just look at the COVID-19 pandemic. It took less than a year to develop the vaccine. Quite Shocking considering vaccine development generally takes roughly ten years (NPS Medicinewise, 2023)
However, new technology will continue to make the world easier to operate, in consequence, layoffs will become increasingly frequent. This is already happening. The tech industry has been making cuts left, right, and centre. Regardless of companies arguing the recession is the most significant reason for layoffs, Silicon Valley has its eye on ChatGPT (Q.ai, 2023). In fact, in January, only a week after Microsoft laid off over 10,000 employees, the company revealed its plan to invest a further $10 billion in Open AI. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, announced in a mid-layoff-memo that the world is now experiencing turbulent economic times, and artificial intelligence is a game-changing technological development (Chow, 2023).
These layoffs reveal that good ethics is good business, arguing companies only act with ethical intention as it is necessary for profit. Silicon Valley certainly took Milton Friedman's approach, ignoring Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), as he believed the only responsibility of a business is to maximize its profits for shareholders.
A Friedman doctrine - The Social Responsibility Of Business Is To Increase Its Profits.
So, if AI can replace some fields of engineer, songwriters (click here for a Nick Cave song ghost written by an AI), journalists, and health care workers to name a few, the unemployment rate is bound to increase. Although unemployment isn't great, in theory, both public-sector and private-sector businesses should save a lot of money. In response to this extra surplus, I predict the private sector will use the saved expenses to develop innovative technology. However, I hope the public sector, which is government funded, would invest the money back into the economy. As an outcome, this means there could be a government fund much higher than the one currently, providing people with extra time and money to focus on what they want to do with their lives. People would not be so scared to follow their ambition, as much like in Sweden, the foundations for career development would be covered (Ek, Tim Ferriss Show, 2020).
Finally, throughout history, generations have consistently believed theirs is the last, explaining the ever so popular string of words, "I was born in the wrong generation,” resulting from the lack of analytical thinking, in combination with the sheer number of musical biopics released in the last decade.
A quote I’ve been pondering…
“There is no difference between a pessimist who says, “Oh its hopeless, so don’t bother doing anything,” and an optimist who says “Don’t bother doing anything, it’s going to turn out fine anyways.” Either way, nothing happens.” ~ Yvon Chouinard.
This raises the following questions. Who is more productive? A pessimist or an optimist. And what is the middle ground between these conflicting behavioural traits? A discussion for another time.
Moreover, how you look at life does not matter. One person could be living an identical life to another, although one is happy and the other sad. So, regardless of how you look at it, glass half full or half empty, you are going to drink the, let's say, wine, anyway, and you may as well do it with a smile on your face.
Someone I find inspiring as of late…
Kevin Kelly
Here is a link to his Wikipedia.
If you can recall, in last week's post, I discussed how I would love to write for WIRED Magazine, well, Kevin Kelly was the founding executive editor of the publication.
Apart from his writing abilities, his, I think, rational thoughts regarding the future of technology are fascinating. A discussion he had with Tim Ferris (164#) regarding technology which we should and should not be worried about, was the catalyst for this article.
To further enhance your curiosity for technological development, read his book, The Inevitable, which argues how technology will change the world in the next thirty years.
Moreover, despite his analytical predictions for the future, there is one article he wrote, in particular, I find inspiring.
Something I am yet to crack is how to build an audience. I know the basics regarding the process, however, there is a force preventing me from implementing them.
The article, '1000 True Fans,' puts this practice in a new perspective.
If you seek stardom, you are looking at things the wrong way, plus it is more difficult to achieve. Whereas If you want to work for what you are passionate about, all you need is 1000 die-hards who are guaranteed to, let’s say, subscribe to your newsletter or purchase a product you have developed.
A song I’ve been listening to…
Pieces of What ~ MGMT
Recently I have been driving a car without Bluetooth or auxiliary cords, and for someone with a dust-collecting CD collection, this is great. It means I can listen to all the CDs I bought when I used to drive my X-Trail. One of these CDs includes Ocular Spectacular.
‘Pieces of What,’ is track seven off the album and is regularly the first song I listen to when I jump in my car. I used to do the same routine years ago when I would drive my friends around Margaret River. I think this is why I enjoy it so much. Apart from being a solid track, it provides a nostalgic feeling.