Millennials, Change And History
Thursday, June 5th, 2008Image credit: PorcelainB
Ryan Healy starts his post by saying, “There’s no doubt that Generation Y will fundamentally change corporate America.”
It’s an interesting post, filled with the brashness, dreams and optimism I’ve come to expect as each new generation enters adulthood—whether I read about or lived through them.
Still more interesting are the comments, whether they agree or not.
I can’t help siding with Carlos who says, “Every generation thinks that their generation is unique. The truly gifted on each generation is and will affect change, but this notion that today’s 20-somethings are any more intelligent or capable than those from 10-40 years ago is naive,” although I would change his 40 years to 4000.
Each generation going back to Year One BC sets out to change the world and in doing so lays the groundwork for the next generation to change it and the process repeats itself through all history.
Some of the changes are good and some not; some seek to address errors previously made, while some target good changes gone bad as a result of social or technical progress. Changes can be revolutionary or evolutionary; they fuel both society’s progression and its regression.
But is it change itself or it’s instigator that history will remember?
What do you think?