OK, I can hold my containment no longer and I have to shout from the rooftops. I am so excited about the coalition agreement made in UK politics between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, mostly because I am so excited to have Nick Clegg in a senior position. While I did not really favour Cameron, I must say that throughout this whole process, he and his party have handled the situation with grace, humility and a spirit of collaboration which we, as a generation, have never seen. But mostly what excites me is a shift from baby boomer leaders to Generation X leaders.

Baby boomers are notorius for having a great vision and assuming that we will all follow suit. They want to help and can mollycoddle; look what they did to their Gen Y children, they were the original helicopter parents! Generation X on the other hand are so much more individualistic and as such, more likely (as we have seen) to preach personal responsibility, which I believe will fill the gap I see so often in our youth.

For these of you who are not aware or familiar with Generational Theory, Generation X is commonly abbreviated to Gen X, the generation born after the baby boom ended, with earliest birth dates used by researchers ranging from 1961 to the latest 1981. In Generation Theory, generations are split into four cycles, describing their job in the world, so to speak.

Now, Gordon Brown was in the Baby Boom generation and here is what Howe and Strauss say about that generation.

Prophets are values-driven, moralistic, focused on self, and willing to fight to the death for what they believe in- and they can convince other people to join them in the fight. They grow up as the increasingly indulged children of a High, come of age as the young crusaders of an Awakening, enter midlife as moralistic leaders during an Unravelling and are the wise, elder leaders of the next Crisis. The Boomers are an example of a Prophet generation.

Have we not seen Gordon Brown do all of these as he tried to cling onto government? As I said before, Boomers can have a tendency to tell us what is right or wrong and convince them that they are doing things in our interests.

However, enter Generation X, a whole different ball game – known as the nomads, here is what Generation Theory says about them.

Nomads are ratty, tough, unwanted, diverse, adventurous, and cynical about institutions. They grow up as the under protected children of an Awakening, come of age as the alienated young adults of an Unravelling, become the pragmatic, midlife leaders of a Crisis and age into tough, post-crisis elders during a High. Generation X and the Lost Generation are examples of Nomad generations.

As a Gen X myself, I would certainly say that that is true. The explosion of youth culture and punks really does align with what we know of Gen X – they are the rebels. Is it no surprise that they went against the institution and formed a coalition?

So we can expect our government to be tough, cynical and pragmatic and Gen X do become leaders in midlife, so it is all looking good for us as we move forward. However this tough individualistic style is something the millennial/Gen Y have not yet seen. For our little Gen Z coming up behind, it will be an approach they are very familiar with, seeing it in their parents, but for their older counterparts a shock may be in store.

Here is what Generation Theory says about Gen Y, who are considered the hero generation.

Heroes are conventional, powerful, and institutionally driven, with a profound trust in authority. They grow up as the increasingly protected children of an Unravelling, come of age as the Heroic, team-working youth of a Crisis, become energetic and hubristic mid-lifers during a High and become the powerful elders who are attacked in the next Awakening. The G.I. Generation that fought World War II is an example of a Hero generation. Millennial are expected to emerge as the next generation of this example.

So, we have young adults who grew up protected, being governed by people that grew up very unprotected, institutionally driven youth with a trust in authority being governed by a mistrusting pair who are cynical about institutions. On the surface it looks like a mis-match. However, as Gen X finally get their day, I feel can learn a lot from them.

Firstly, I want to say that as most Gen X had such difficult childhoods, feeling very unwanted by society, that they believe in the potential and power of the youth that they missed out on. Therefore, I believe they will approach them in a very helpful way.

What our new PM and his deputy will teach the youth.

1. I think they will teach them to toughen up. So far they have had it easy, looked after and loved well by their parents, who step in to help. I think Gen X will teach them to stand on their own two feet a bit more and will encourage them to go out into the big wide world unaided.

2. The youth will learn what relatiism is, something that up to now they may not have encountered. A generation that were brought up being told they could do anything, they will soon learn to take a realistic view at things. Our new government will be pragmatic and real and will I think tame the lofty heights and fantasy worlds that Gen Y sometimes live in.

3. Gen X are extremely individualistic; they learnt from a early age to take care of themselves, taking personal responsibility. Gen X parents will never take the blame for a mistake their child has made and this government will not take the blame for youth not taking responsibility for their own actions.

4. Gen X are not known for their result-focused attitudes, so it may be that we see some reform of the education system. We may see a shift from results to pastoral care, which will have a huge impact on our youth.

And I also think that this government, should it choose to do so, has a lot to learn from our youth. Since they are in collaborative coalition, who best to turn to than the generation who do collaboration standing on their heads? Their young society will not stand for quibbling between these parties and will demand that they govern in a respectful, authentic way. The youth, if they are listened to, may also be able to raise the expectations of these two leaders. Gen X are highly practical in their outlook and may lose some vision and enthusiasm for what they do. While the Baby Boomers tried to keep them on the moral path, this government could become very uninspirational.

Like anything, this is just speculation, but I think that we are in for a highly interesting time….

By Tatiana Kielberman

Sometimes we assume that everybody knows the basic terminology which classifies generations, and we forget that there are many people who have trouble understanding the classifications and characteristics of each one.

In a chat with my older brother, I realized that I know more about this theme than he does. He’s a bit lost.

Our conversation went something like this:

-Tati, I know you are part of Generation Y and I’m part of generation X, I’m 32. Is that right?

- Yes, you are on the very edge of X and Y, you were born in a transitional moment between generations.

- Oh, I get it. And what generation is mom from?

- She’s a baby boomer, she’s 58 years old.

-Baby boomer…what? She explodes babies?

-Ha, that’s not what baby boomer means.

-I’ve told you millions of times that our parents are part of the baby boomer generation. They were born in the 50’s and right after the second world war, came a boom in births. People started to have lots of kids, and that’s why they’re called the baby boomers. The boom is an explosion in birth rates.

-Oh, ok. But let me try to understand. How do you know all this?

-Well, for many reasons. My generation studied English as a foreign language more rigorously than yours. You grew up in a time of constant economic inflation and economic tension. There wasn’t much money to invest in extracurriculars. When generation Y was born our parents felt a necessity to guarantee our future. English was a way to do that.

- That’s true. You’re right. I studied English for a very short time, and I never made it a priority. Mom and Dad also didn’t ask a lot of me, and since I entered a job where I didn’t need a foreign language, I didn’t think much of it. So for me, that’s why “baby boomer” makes me think of exploding babies. I know only the basics of English. But for what other reason?

- Well, maybe I am also more connected to these topics than you are. You have different interests. Also generation Y is a bit quicker. So while you guys were thinking about researching something, we were already “googling,” “copying,” “pasting,” and answering your questions, and we always did this with a great deal of creativity, and a certain level of efficiency.

- Convenient huh?

-It’s an example, I’m talking not only about myself here, but about most of the young people my age. This doesn’t exclude you, as part of Gen X, full of your own history, symbols, and idols. Plus, you were raised in a better way than we were. I bet mom and dad said “No” to you more than me. With me, they had to deal with my “No’s.” And I actually don’t think this did me a favor at all, because I think I would have experienced more personal growth, if things had been a bit more difficult for me. But anyways, that’s the reality of the matter.

-I would say that this is called “spoiling.” I guess, I’m spoiled as well.

-Of course you were spoiled, but spoiled by the lack of things. There was a lack of money at some points. That made it so our parents often tried to compensate in other ways. With me, everything was in my reach, at whatever moment, and however I wanted it. The good side of this, is that I discovered that information was available. I got to research and create. I discovered the meaning of a baby boomer before you. The negative aspect of this is that my thirst is somewhat unquenchable, and I’m not easily satisfied. Perhaps when I become a full-time employee this will be one of my weak points.

-Yes, perhaps you should try to diminish this anxiety you have, that seems so typical of Generation Y. In my case, I get anxious when I have to find a new job. But seeing you today, I feel that things in my day were easier. It seems employers expected the basics from Generation X. A good university, an impressive CV. That’s it. And yet, you guys need much more than that.

-Yes, that’s right. Things aren’t easy, and the question is no longer simply to grasp opportunity. Rather, you need to know what will happen to these opportunities once they’re in our hands. We have to be capable of transforming and making something out of them. Nothing is static, everything changes, all the time!

-Maybe that’s why things need to be so innovative these days. I get tired just from thinking about it.

-If you’re tired, imagine us, and the pressure we go through every day! What I want most is to be happy, doing something that I’m passionate about.

-Well, it seems that you’ve discovered this talent, and you can only improve from here.

-I know, I’m generation Y. I have you as generation X to remind me that quality counts. And I’ve got mom and dad to remind me not to forget what really counts in life.

-That’s right. And what about our kids? What do you think it will be like for them?

-Well, that’s a topic for another day. They’ll probably represent unimaginable speed and velocity, that we can’t even begin to conceive. They’ll make the earth move, and if we do our part, then they will be filled with value. In the end, the most valuable aspect of generations is that even though we live in different times, we all grow by living on the edge. Got it?

-What?

-I asked if you understood what I meant. Got it?

-On yeah, I “got it,”

-Oh! At this rate my own kids won’t no the meaning of yes and no.

-No problem, just like a good gen yer, you’ll teach them in a matter of minutes.

By Manuela Mesquita

I’ve always thought of my mother as a baby boomer, but a baby boomer who doesn’t fit the stereotype. My mother introduced me to e-mail, even though I’m part of generation Y. My mother got on MSN chat before I did. She knows way more about computers than I do. I always relied on her knowledge whenever I had any doubts! She downloads music onto her cell phone. She’s always updating her computer with the latest software, and yes she’s on Orkut! (Brazil’s leading social network.)

She’s very present in my life. She tells me to update my pictures. She leaves comments and messages for me in cyber space. She doesn’t have a blog (yet), but I won’t be surprised the day she creates one.

Yet in the past few days, I’ve gotten concrete proof that some things go beyond the cyber world. Culture and the way people have been raised, ends up creating a gap between baby boomers and Gen Y.

A friend of mind has just lost someone very dear to her. The wake will take place in another city. I couldn’t be with her at that moment. I didn’t know how to act.

The first person I thought of in this situation was my mother. I didn’t think twice, I called for help. Immediately she told me,

- “In these moments, only a telegram will do.”

- What? Tele what?

You know, that thing people used back in World War II. In a few words they had to send a very succinct and expensive message. That’s what my mother was talking about!

I didn’t burst out laughing simply because I was going through such an emotional moment. She continued explaining that sending my condolences through the Internet would be extremely indelicate.

I decided to send flowers, along with a card, to the site of the wake.

But I still wasn’t satisfied. How could I be certain that the right person had gotten the flowers? Would my friend know just how much I wanted to express my solidarity? How long would the flowers take to get there? I logged into Orkut, and found that people had left several messages. Now, I’m against this. I find it really morbid. But I couldn’t resist the urge to speak to my friend. So I sent an e-mail, expressing my feelings, and asking if she had gotten the flowers. In less than 5 minutes I got a “thank you” e-mail, sent via Blackberry. I finally felt at peace. At least my message had been delivered.

As far as my mother’s surprising advice goes, it reveals just how much communication has changed. Yes, an e-mail is impersonal. It’s impersonal, and it’s not the most well-mannered way to go about expressing my condolences. But this isn’t important. What is important is that my friend got the message, and that my message seemed to help her.

What I take from this whole situation is that for us, Generation Y, it’s important for information to flow, and to arrive at the right time. We haven’t stopped using our common sense or etiquette. But in this case, the message I was sending would have had no value even a day later. Timing was extremely delicate.

How would I have known that she had gotten the telegram? And if I had sent a letter, it could have gotten lost. Why risk it when we have all this technology?

To generation Y, it would have been rude not to communicate right away, especially since there are so many different ways to get in touch! I do understand my mother’s perspective, and she’s incredibly modern for her generation. Still, culture is culture. Even the Internet or social networks can’t bridge this gap, at least not as quickly as we’d like.

By Ines Schinaz

I spoke with Penelope Trunk, the founder and CEO of Brazen Careerist.com

Ines: You talk about how your own career never had a straight path. How did you get the idea for your blog? Was there a particular experience that made you decide to create it?
Penelope: I was a columnist at the “Boston Globe,” and I was writing a column about Blogging, because so many people were talking about it. I thought the column would be about what a waste of time it is, because I have so many friends spending all their time on their blogs and not making any money from it. But as I was doing the research for the column, I realized that the blogs were helping them in ways that weren’t monetary but that were huge for their careers. So I ended up writing about how if you want a really big career, that’s stable and lucrative, then you should blog. Then I realized, “I don’t have a blog, I should have a blog before the column launches…” So I put one together really fast, and that’s kind of how I started blogging.

Ines: How did you come up with the idea for Brazen Careerist?
Penelope: So the blog got big really fast, because it’s career advice for generation Y, and there was nobody giving it at the time, I mean they were giving it, but it was terrible advice. Then, companies started asking me to consult with them on how to recruit and retain generation Y. I kept telling the companies, “You have to have conversations with Generation Y. You can’t just spam them with job postings.” The companies would ask, “Where do we have these conversations?” I said, “online.” But then I realized, there’s not really a place to have a conversation with someone in their 20’s online, unless you go to Facebook. But on Facebook everyone’s got this really raunchy stuff… It’s very personal, and it’s not a very professional way to present yourself. So I launched Brazencareerist.com for people in their 20’s to present themselves professionally.

Ines: In the post “My name is not really Penelope” you explain how your career became so closely tied with the brand “Penelope trunk” that you actually became the brand and that calling yourself Penelope (both in your professional and personal life) was the only way to keep things from getting too crazy. That post got me thinking about identity in the digital age. In your opinion how has the concept of identity evolved and changed along with the evolution of technology? Do you feel that identity has become more fluid, flexible, and open? Or has technology tied us down, to a more rigid and permanent identity?
Penelope: People who grow up online are much smarter about managing their online identities. They don’t make the mistakes that people who are older make. They are also less rude online. Some people who are older, feel like they have anonymity online, so they don’t realize everything can be traced back to them. Younger people are much better behaved online, because they think of it as public and not anonymous. So I think in general, younger people are good at knowing who they are, both offline and online, and not compartmentalizing themselves in some schizophrenic, messed up, way. I think that this is good. We should all be our best selves wherever we are.

Ines: Anyone who reads your blog knows that you are really interested in the study of “happiness.” In the post “The connection between a good job and happiness is overrated” you express the idea that “quality of relationships impact your level of happiness more than your job does.” My question is, in this “digital age” when so much of our social interaction takes places via cyber space, do you believe there will be a decrease in meaningful personal relationships thus decreasing our levels of happiness? Or will we simply establish meaningful relationships through these new technologies?
Penelope: Well, what we see with generation Y is that they are much better offline, at both communicating and maintaining relationships. So, I think it actually has more to do with a generational experience than with “online” or “offline.” One thing you can see is how differently younger people and older people use Twitter. The average age on Twitter is 40. It’s mostly older people using Twitter to publicize stuff that they do. Younger people use Twitter to meet offline. I think that’s kind of a metaphor for how generations are using online technology. Older people are using it as a one-way conversation, to avoid connection. Younger people are using it to establish connection offline. This is true of lots of different media, for example, “facebook.” Older people use it to get reconnected with people they’ve lost touch with, and will probably never see again. Young people use it to stay in touch with people who they already have meaningful relationships with. In general, I think younger people are better at communicating, than older people… I don’t think it has anything to do with technology. While you guys were having a dictatorship in Brazil, all the American housewives were on Valium, because they couldn’t cope with being housewives. The culture of hiding what’s not going well, or hiding what you don’t want people to see, is something that isn’t as prevalent for the younger generation. They are more willing to share.

Ines: You often talk about how blogging makes you feel tied to a community. In your opinion, are we moving toward a world where “communities” exist mostly in the online world?
Penelope: We know that humans are fundamentally social. So no matter what you do with humans, they will want to socialize. We know that if you don’t touch babies they die. Because of our fundamental human need to both be social and to be touched, we would never, not be in communities in person. If that were to happen, we wouldn’t be fundamentally human. So it’s like a non-issue.

Ines: In your opinion what can we do concretely to get: veterans, baby boomers, gen x, and gen y to coexist most peacefully and productively in the workplace?
Penelope: Fire all the people who won’t collaborate. The employer has the upper hand right now in the job market. We are in a recession. Anyone who is not getting along across generations should just be fired.

Ines: But you don’t see that as being the vast majority of baby boomers who have some trouble getting along with generation Y?
Penelope: Just because you are annoyed by another generation’s take on things, doesn’t mean you aren’t working well with them. In general, generation X is the most annoying to everyone. The baby boomers, everything they do, they think they reinvent the world as they do it. So, they think they reinvented the idea of teamwork, and caring about people, and having meaning in life. They didn’t reinvent it, but their kids, generation Y, are very much like that. The result of that is that the baby boomers and generation Y, at this point in their lives want the same thing. It happens that baby boomers spent 40 years wanting selfish, gross, offensive, things, before they got to this. But whatever, at this point baby boomers and generation Y are pretty much aligned. It’s generation X that’s totally annoying to everyone. But in general, generation X, is getting most of the work done, which is the way it’s been the whole time, with baby boomers and generation X in the workplace. The people at this point who can’t get along, are so far behind the curve, they should just be fired. The consulting industry for getting along between generations is 10 years old. It’s a 50 billion dollar industry. If people can’t get a grip, they are morons.

Ines: Your blog blurs the line between the public and the private.I recently saw an art exhibit by the French artist Sophie Calle, that turned a breakup e-mail from her boyfriend into artwork. The exhibit reminded me of your blog, in the sense that Calle also doesn’t keep secrets, and revealed her private life very openly. What do you think about the concepts of the “public” and the “private” in the digital age?
Penelope: I’m in a unique situation because I get paid to navigate the boundaries between the public and private. So I get away with more than other people do. I get paid to tell people how to have great careers, and people see my career as great. So I can just tell them how to be me. I have a much more murky boundary than most people.

Ines: In the post, “What to do in college to be successful in your career,” you advise college students to take an acting class. Has the need to “act” increased along with our increasing use of technology?
Penelope: Today as things are more open and transparent, authenticity is what’s rewarded. And actually a good acting class, teaches you how to be more authentic.

Ines: Many people argue that we are experiencing the biggest generation gap ever. Will the generational gap keep getting wider? Or do you think the gap will actually diminish?
Penelope: In the U.S. something like 60 percent of young people move back home with their parents. So there’s like not a generation gap at all. The kids and the parents are getting along perfectly. Generation Y kids love their parents. So the generation gap is at work, where older people have climbed the ladder and sold their souls so they can get to the top of the corporation and now young people aren’t climbing the ladder, so older people are totally pissed off. But if you go home the kids and the parents have very similar values.

Ines: Right. But what happens when the values generation Y learns at home don’t carry out into the workplace?
Penelope: It’s not a huge generation gap. It’s a failing of corporate life. The idea that you sell your soul to a corporation, and that corporation takes care of you for your whole life, is over.

I want to talk about Self Esteem and how it changes, between generations, according to our life experiences. My generation (the Baby Boomers) didn’t grow up thinking we were “hot stuff.”

During our childhood, Brazil was going through a tough dictatorship. This did not help our Self Esteem. Brazil was not a BRIC at that time. We were only known for our soccer, our Carnival, and our women, especially our “mulatas”

It felt terrible when people referred to Brazil only as a place for sex. They couldn’t even name our major cities. Even today, a lot of people still think our capital is Buenos Aires!

I believe that there is a deeper root to all of this, which transpires in our language and our history. For instance, the word “Brazilian” in Portuguese is “Brasileiro.” The suffix “eiro” usually refers to a profession and not a nationality. For example, “carpenters” are called “Carpinteiro” or “Marceneiro.”

Interestingly, other nationalities in the Portuguese language clearly depict a people. “Frances” (the French) and “Ingles,” (The English), carry suffixes that relate to their national identity and not their profession.

I ask myself why is this?

When the Portuguese colonized Brazil, they didn’t want us to feel strong. They didn’t want the rebellion, which inevitably comes with strength.

The Portuguese thought that Brazilians were lazy and indolent. They would use the word “mamelucos” (which is originally an Arab word, to designate the sons of enemies), as a prejudiced term for those of mixed race.

Nothing in Brazil’s history of colonization suggests that the Portuguese wanted to colonize us. They just wanted to exploit Brazil, sucking out everything that was of worth to them.

Therefore Brazilians did not have high Self Esteem. We were different from Argentines, who were called arrogant. In fact, Argentines have a high Self Esteem because of their colonization.

So, Brazil was ”nothing” as Baby Boomers were growing up. We weren’t particularly proud of Brazil.

For Generation Y, it’s a whole other story. It’s as if they know a different Brazil. Their Brazil is the center of attention, and the country of the future.

I grew up during the women’s movement. And yet, I remember that if I dated a lot of boys, I was called “sabonete” or “soap.” The idea being that I was getting passed from one boy’s hand to the next…

Girls weren’t supposed to date a lot of people. It just wasn’t considered a nice or proper thing to do. And of course, “hooking up” or “Ficar” as it’s called in Brazil, wasn’t even part of our vocabulary.

During our teenage years, the birth control pill appeared. Can you even imagine life before this? We grew up as revolutionaries of a sort. We broke down many paradigms. Divorce wasn’t normal. Yet, being single was unthinkable.

Today young people are growing up in a different context. This context makes all the difference.

When we raise our kids (generation Y), we want them to feel strong and happy. Intuitively we want them to have a higher Self Esteem than we ourselves have. We look for schools that are less strict than ours. We enroll our children in Foreign Languages, Theater, and Art.

With all these resources, it’s no wonder they have a higher Self Esteem than our generation!

The funny, thing is that all of this allows them to question us, even within our own household. As I already wrote, we allow everything in the household. But what do we allow in our businesses? In businesses, we don’ t let these “kids” to question everything.

I think that these issues can only be resolved if we dig up all the dirt which has already been swept under the rug. If these topics are discussed, different generations can be understood, and we can all come together. Barefoot.

Lately, I’ve come across a lot of articles that attempt to teach Generation Y how to behave. There are tips about almost everything. From interviews, to jobs, to cyber space etiquette, there are all sorts of “do’s” and “Don’ts.” This is especially true regarding online social networks, where a whole bundle of rules apply.

On Orkut (a popular social network in Brazil), certain groups like “I hate Mondays” or I hate my boss” are enough to prevent a candidate from getting a job.

But why does Generation Y expose themselves so much? Why do they get so naked? Do they not know how to behave like businessmen and businesswomen? Do they not care about their privacy?

I feel that Generation Y has a completely different conception of privacy, compared to the Baby Boomers (those born post WWII).

Growing up, Baby Boomers avoided any sort of personal exhibitionism. We didn’t want to be the center of gossip or victims of prejudice.

Our values were controlled by family, religion (whichever one it was), by school, by the larger community, and even by the friends of our parents and grandparents!

This has changed primarily because young people have lost touch with the adult figures, who were once responsible for monitoring them.

The meaning and feeling of belonging has changed, and continues to change. As divorces surged, families fell apart. New families surfaced. These families had half brothers and sisters, step cousins, and Step Mothers and Fathers.

Everything became “half” of something else, or a “step” from somewhere else. It’s interesting that today, with such a broad definition of family, there is no word, which names the new husband of a mother. I believe that language is a live organism, and that neologisms reflect our society. However, if this true, than why isn’t there a neologism for the new wife of my father or the new husband of my mother?

I also think that the permissive, “laissez faire,” manner in which Baby Boomers raised their kids, as rebellion to their own upbringing, didn’t help in creating a strong super ego, which allows youth to set his own limits.

The fast and hyperactive rhythm, with which the world currently moves, doesn’t make it easy for parents to keep up with their kids. Similarly they have trouble keeping up with technology, and new professional opportunities in the job market. For the most part, this hasn’t made parents good “mentors” in young people’s eyes.

Baby boomers feel social pressure to stay young. The intense velocity of daily life only enforces this. To stay young, generation Y’s parents workout. They use all sorts of expensive creams, dye their hair (there are no more old grannies with white hair!), and they get liposuction. They invest in health and beauty with their time and money. Therefore, they have even less time for their kids, as their own parents had for them.

As a consequence, today’s youth turn to their friends and peers to learn. We are living in the era of Wiki and information sharing. This is how today’s youth look for the answers they can’t find in school, religion, or in their own household. All this freedom makes youth feel very powerful.

In my last post, I discussed how baby boomers constantly praised their children. This was different from our own upbringing. This constant praise explains why Generation Y has a higher Self Esteem.

The truth is that generation Y lives with the illusion that anything is possible. You can expose yourself, you can give your opinion, you can influence important family decisions, you can have taped sex with random, unknown, partners.

Customs have changed for today’s youth. Yet, it’s not that today’s youth don’t respect their elders. They just have a different idea about what respect means. It means one thing to us, and another thing to them.

So, having an Orkut picture, with your tongue sticking out, or joining the Orkut group “I hate my boss,” or getting piercing or tattoos, is all very normal. It doesn’t have consequences.

Youth has become more open. I don’t recognize my adolescence in theirs. My adolescence was characterized by gossip and not being able to date very many boys. And this is all very different.

Yet businesses don’t accept these new customs. I don’t think that we can survive in such a competitive business world without a minimal amount of hierarchal structure and authority. Businesses need to understand youth, but they still need to be competitive in their industries.

Like I said in the last post, we need to “take off our shoes” and go barefoot, to understand other generations.

Businesses need to survive. We do need some sort of order and hierarchy. We need planning and accountability to survive. Yet, we also need the youth. We need to understand them. So, I invite the different generations to sit down and dialogue with each other. And as I’ve said many times before, this will only happen if we allow ourselves to relax a bit and just take off our shoes!

True to the “baby boomer” frame of mind, I catch myself thinking that Generations “Y” and “T” don’t have the faintest idea of the effort we “Boomers,” make to understand a world which is completely different from the one we created for them.

After all, Boomers created the microwave.  The invention which saved or perhaps destroyed family dinners.  Then came fast food, drive thrus, and even the web cam.

Back then, time was slower.  Our conception and perception of time was different.  It’s important for Generation Y to comprehend this. It explains the difficulty boomers sometimes have in understanding generation Y and their constant desire for “instant gratification.”

I was born at the same time as the television.  World War II had ended only ten years ago.  My father had been a volunteer in the war.  He was Jewish, and if he had been caught by the Nazis, his death would have been a certainty.

I was raised in a very traditional manner.  Our entire family ate together every night, as soon as my father got back from work.   Obedience was the norm.  My parents were raised in an environment where the collective mentality was more important than the individual.  They had been victims of war, they had to survive, and they had done it by thinking collectively.  And of course, during war, obedience is also crucial to one’s survival.

When the new generations realize that four generations are coexisting in the same environment, perhaps they can explore the questions of the “past” with their parents, professors, and bosses, to create a more peaceful, harmonious, and productive setting.

The theme of coexistence among generations, isn’t talked about in Brazil-at least not yet.  However, we must understand the way in which generations’ past histories, influence their behavior.  And we must dialogue to truly understand those around us.