Generation Gap widens - rooted in devaluation of accumulated wisdom....

Generation Gap widens - rooted in devaluation of accumulated wisdom....

Generation Gap widens. Older people have always offered advice to younger people, with words of wisdom culled from their memories of youth. And, of course, in every era, young people have found advice from elders to be outdated and ineffectual. These days, however, given how fast the world is changing, there's been a clear widening of the advice gap.
It's rooted in a devaluation of accumulated wisdom, a leveling of the relationships between old and young. On many fronts, people from Generation Y—now ages 16 to 32— assume their peers know best. They doubt those of us who are older can truly understand their needs and concerns.
This is a great article worthy of continued discussion...not only relevent for personal relationships, but also for business and management.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704421104575463540853116732.html?KEYWORDS=want+my+advice

How to Say It

Among tips from young adults for their advice-giving elders:

Question your assumptions: What worked in your youth might have little relevance today.
Offer suggestions, not pronouncements: Say 'you could' not 'you should.'
Welcome a dialogue: Listen, don't lecture; you'll learn things and give better advice.
Resist saying: 'When I was young…'
Don't belittle technology: If you're critical of social media, young people may dismiss you as a dinosaur.
Accept your limitations: The young understand the world today. Sometimes, the best advice is: 'Trust your instincts.'