EVERY millennial parent today is guilty; guilty of doing the wrongs their parents did to them, and guilty of criticising their young ones. We often hear parents taunting their children on mobile phone usage. History shows that this trend of taunt and criticism is not new. There are recorded documents related to such a practice dating back to ancient Greece.

Amazingly, adults who criticise youngsters forget the simple fact that they, too, were children once, and that they also did not like being unfairly criticised by their elders. Why, then, do they repeat the cycle when they have the power to stop it once and for all?

I see how my friends criticise their children today. They say we used to play cricket in the streets and go outside, but today’s children just sit around all day with their mobile phones.

When they were young, the parents of today used to be told by their elders not to go outside to play beyond a certain limit, and to stay home. Reasons change, but human behaviour does not.

The arrogance that every generation carries is a form of tribalism that is ingrained in us. When we see someone from the younger generation doing something we did not do, we get triggered. Of course, hate is not just one-sided; it comes from both parties. The young also have their complaints against their elders. It is all because of generational arrogance and a belief that we are a better generation. Undoubtedly, all such thoughts are becasue of the streak of tribalism in ourselve. Let us break this cycle by understating that all generations can come together and learn from each other.

Affan Khattak
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2024