Between the Baby Boomers and millennials

Baby boomers, born between the late forties and the fifties, up to the mid-sixties, are so called because for twenty years from the end of the second world war, there was a sudden and progressive rise in population rates. During the war years from 1941 to 1945, the birth rate was almost zero, while mortality rate rose significantly due to Japanese-led and instigated mass killings. As a result of almost zero birth rate and massive and endemic mortality, the Philippine population reached its lowest level in those times' recent history. There were zero pregnancies because all the husbands left homes and fought a guerrilla warfare in the jungles. But after the war, they all came down. The survivors among them returned from war, and impregnated their wives and girlfriends like crazy. There was a sudden boom in births. The babies born then were called Baby Boomers.

We, the Baby Boomers, are trained to be hard-working, consistent and compliant with standards, obedient to laws and normally striving hard to be in harmony with superiors, subordinates and peers. Loyalty is a very important trait for us. Respect was not an elective but a requirement. Thus, many baby boomers would normally stay in one company from teenage to compulsory retirement. Respect for authority is a must among us. Our generation has very high tolerance for pain and anguish because our era was one of hard work, perseverance and persistence. We were trained to survive under very harsh conditions and the word surrender is not in our language. We are fighters, we are warriors, stout-hearted men and women ready to do battle with all odds. and we are prepared to be wounded and scarred in the battlefields of life's warfare and struggles.

The millennials are the over-spoiled generation. They get everything on a silver platter. They never have to walk to school, which we, in our own times, did even barefooted. Today's young are driven to schools by either their parents or by the family drivers. They have all the gadgets, the books, the internet, the Wi-Fi, the lap tops, cell phones, iPad, and all resources in ultimate and sophisticated cutting-edge technology. They google for answers while we used to walk miles to reach the library just to scan the worn-out pages of the encyclopedia Britannica and Americana. This generation does not have to work hard. There are many gadgets to do all kinds of computer applications. That is why millennials have very low tolerance for pains and adversity. They commit suicide for whimsical and capricious causes. Our generations will die standing, no retreat, no surrender.

The young ones today can answer back their elders, argue with them and even come out feeling victorious. During our times, the words of our parents were the law. Today, the millennials are the kings and queens. They insist on having all that they want, and they call it empowerment. In our times, our silence and obedience were called respect. That attitude today is a rare commodity no longer in circulation. I am both sad and jealous.