I came to really appreciate and identify with Zoe, a nice Irish lass if I’m not mistaken, during lockdown when she kept going on about her despair at the closure of her local and what to do about all the empty bottles overflowing her bins … and what her neighbors must think.
Today she’s really hit the nail on the head I believe. Food for thought for some of us older folks.
The only thing I think I disagree with is the fact I don’t ever laugh at them. I’m the father of two daughters who I watched grow up and experience things and feel things the way young people do today. What they feel is as real as it gets.
By the way, this article deals with music for those who may not be inclined to click on the link. Here’s Zoe’s first paragraph:
“Near where I live, there’s an open-mic day for local kids who are in bands. It’s slickly run, with professional sound engineers and equipment, and it’s all free. It’s an act of incredible generosity by a load of self-effacing ponytail guys, and I believe it will save at least a minuscule corner of the world of live music, just by populating south-east London with 14-year-olds who know how to plug in an amp.”
As a father of five who are all over 21 I agree with you and the article. Why we minimise how tough our kids have it is beyond me, in the seventies I was angry, confused, directionless and naive and it hurt; so why should I be anything other than supportive to my kids and their friends who are more than likely feeling the same in 2022.
By the way, I still feel much the same as I did in the seventies, the world started to get much better with the end of the Cold War, the advent of one world tech, advances in medical care………etc, but has more recently regressed in my opinion/experience.
What’s so funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding?
What I think society in general is experiencing is a renaissance or more like a first introduction to consciously handling and experiencing emotions.
Especially since women are more and more seen as equal and fully so with the latest generation and with this all that they bring to the table.
Women were always more and allowed to be in touch with their emotional side where the picture of what a man should be like was and still is very different.
Men have to have a ‘good’ reason for it to be acceptable that they show emotions anywhere outside their home.
A women crying in public receives immediate sympathy and help where a crying man won’t as easy if at all.
Repression of emotions will be less and less acceptable therefore they call it more and more what it really is: Abusive.
It was always abuse but earlier generations were and still are unable to see it like that because they were taught to ‘toughen up’ and repress their feelings to fit the societal image of a “strong” man where feelings are unimportant/weak and logic and muscle strength, violence is the way to move forward.
I see it that we are more and more heading towards the Truth and away from untruth/lies.
To ‘Toughen up’ means to deny feelings that are there. To deny ones own Truth.
To be told to deny ones own Truth is abuse.
The next renaissance might be that men will want to have this ‘right’ to their emotions like women have as well. Even though an openly crying man seems weak to most of the current generations it is the opposite. It is strength and Truth and our birth right to this - Our Truth.