I have met this girl. She could be my daughter.
You smoke too much, I say.
It is a waste of time and money and I dont think one can feel better after smoking, I continue.
She just laughs, takes the cigarettes and goes outside.

There are a lot of things of young generation I cant understand. How they are so relaxed about important issues, just go trough life like there is nothing on their mind, easy-going with no worries.

I remember my young age. There was always something to do in our house. Even when I was studying there were obligations I had to fulfill. After I finished my studies I got a job. Then I got married and had two children. My generation respected their elders, we were more independent than the kids today, more keen to settle down, find a job and live what used to be considered a normal life. There was always a struggle between me and my father but I did not resist too much and most of time I did as he said.

Well, most of the time, anyway…

Now I am looking at her, and not just her for that matter. I have grandchildren that think the same, dress the same, listen to the same music and doing things I think I could never understand. They think materially, not with heart, some of them even live their life with no goals…

They say they want to travel, earn and spend money, have less respect for their elders and they choose the easiest way to go around. They dont know their language well, dont care about the history, dont read too much, they are often rude interrupting people while talking, never get up for an older person in the bus. The new generation is more uninformed then we were. They spent more and have less.

On the other hand I admire how they can change very rapidly, have more knowledge in certain things than we had when we were younger. For me this is a new way of thinking, a bit unknown and undiscovered yet. But one thing I am sure of: I respect their choice and would never try to influence their way of living but I feel free to express my opinion.

Life runs very fast, so sometimes it is important to stop. Think. Relax. Feel free to do whatever you want. Catch the moment. Breathe.

They know how to do it, and that is something my generation never had.

A founder of boy scouts once said: We need to leave the world a bit better than we found it

I wonder... are we leaving it in good hands? Hopefully…