By Eline Kullock
I just saw a great film that made me reflect about Generation Y. The film is called “Head in the Clouds.” The story takes place during WWII, and is romantic, but also very realistic.
What really struck me in the movie was the way in which before the war, people seemed to live each moment as if it were their last.
“It was a time where the rules of society were changing…” states the trailer.
There were lots of parties, glamour, sex, alcohol, and an overall sense of permissiveness.
As one character explains, “The past and the future are irrelevant. The moment is everything.”
The war finally arrives, though many people refuse to see it. They all had “their heads in the clouds.” Gilda, the main character, also had her head in the clouds. She feared that life would bring her reality. She failed to see the dangers of the moment, with the Spanish Civil war, and the German invasion in France.
What does this have to do with young people today? They also have a great desire to live in the present, as if there is no future. In a sense, we are also on the verge of a war, which many of us don’t want to see.
Young people go clubbing in the middle of the week. They go to class the next day, as if these were the new rules of a changing society.
“But you’re going out today? Again? Partying?”
“Mom, but it’s the last party, it’s going to be the coolest party of my life.”
“Are you going surfing again? What about school?”
Mom, but this could be the last wave of my life.”
“When are you getting back from your trip?” “You are going to miss 10 days of class!”
“Yeah dad, but there may not be other opportunities to travel like this.”
I wonder what future this generation sees. Maybe there’s some sort of war coming around. Maybe I’ve got my head in the clouds!
Are we preparing a future for our children?
I believe we are, but maybe I’m wrong.
Our children live in the short term. Of course this attitude will have great impact on businesses. I already wrote about this generation’s difficulty to accept strategic planning of 5 or 10 years. Even planning a year ahead is questioned by Generation Y. They ask us:
“What if another economic crisis hits?” “How do we plan ahead in a world which is just a “beta test” and for which there is no time to test newer, better, more advanced, versions?” “The beta version already leads to other products, software, and applications…”
Sadly, we are constantly talking about a world in which it won’t be possible to fulfill everyone in a satisfactory way, and a world in which our forests may eventually disappear. We live in a world where we have to think about politics regarding gas emissions in the atmosphere and the spread of disease. Will all these important questions make us revisit and reflect on the planning of our future? What future are we preparing for our kids?
I can’t forget the sentence I heard Mario Sergio Cortella speak the other day:
“The future we are preparing for our children, lies in the children we are preparing for the future.”
We live with a sense of urgency and immediacy. Everything is about money, end of the year bonuses, and short-term results. Are we helping Generation Y to gain a long-term perspective and vision? Perhaps we are also contributing to their heads in the clouds.
I always remember, the sentence that has greatly influenced my career as a businesswoman. “Only great men can have their feet on the ground, and their heads in the clouds. But only great men.”
