A Generation That Needs Grit

Most times, we complain that we wish we had enough time to perfect what we are doing or finish a particular task. It is not wrong to wish for more time, but the reason we often fail to complete what we set out to do is that we do not prioritise and focus on what matters most. Many people want to do so many things at the same time, treating everything as if it is equally important. Unfortunately, not many people understand the importance of setting priorities.

In this era of technology and social media, a lot of people, especially young people, engage in endless scrolling. At the end of the day, they realise they have achieved nothing meaningful. This problem is even more common among schoolchildren. Those who are not constantly scrolling often spend countless hours playing games, sometimes even while they are in the classroom.

I was talking to a friend today, and we both wondered how people can teach children of this generation resilience, confidence, and self-awareness. Many of them do not want to engage in anything that is stressful or challenging. They avoid tasks that would make them stronger because they often have everything handed to them on a platter of gold. Many parents today struggled while growing up. They worked to support themselves and could even walk long distances to get things done. However, what we see these days is quite the opposite. Almost everything comes easily, especially for children from well-to-do families.

You will even see parents in schools telling teachers not to discipline their children, even when they are clearly wrong. How can we continue to raise children who are too soft to do even simple household chores? If this continues, we may end up raising a generation that cannot cope with life’s challenges, and this will create difficult times in the future.

It is important that we strike a balance. We should allow our children to appreciate the value of learning a skill and being hardworking. They should not get everything they want all the time. We must ensure that what we provide is moderate and teach them to value the privileges they enjoy because many people are not as fortunate.

We also need to share our experiences while growing up so that they can appreciate the sacrifices we have made for them. This will prepare them to face life’s challenges with courage and determination in the future.

It is worthwhile to let them know that nothing good ever comes easy. Success requires sacrifice and, at times, delayed gratification. Not many people are willing to do that today. You often hear people say, “I will take care of myself first,” or, “I can’t deny myself anything.” However, it all depends on our priorities at a particular point in time.

We need to help the younger generation understand why they should learn from the older generation and find a healthy balance between enjoying modern conveniences and developing the resilience needed to succeed in life.