If the older generations, Generation X, had to flip through piles of book to research, youth today can find any information on Google. If older generations had to communicate, they had to send runners to different villages; young people can now communicate from the luxury of their couches anywhere in the world. In a way, it does look like our generation has it easy.
But are we really lazy or do we have newer ways to keep ourselves occupied?
Young people believe that people of previous generations always find a way to criticize the newer generations because they tend to compare what they know with things they don’t have a clear knowledge about. Many have no idea about the capabilities of technology or even how they work, and even though most of the work is done on the computer, the lack of physical activity tends to be labeled laziness by seniors.
“I personally don’t agree with the elders and don’t think the young people are any less lazy than they in their time,” says 23-year-old Saroj Ghimire, currently pursuing his Masters in Environmental Sciences and Management at SchEMS College in Kathmandu. “I think that technology teaches people. The whole world is on Internet and young people are exposed to a lot of different things. I think our elders never understood technology as much as we have, and I think this lack of understanding is what drives them to label us the lazy generation,” he adds.
Although the lives of urban youth in Kathmandu have been driven by technology, all the exposure they get may not always be positive. In ways, older generations might have focused only on the negative sides of the story. Nevertheless there is a negative side – addiction. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are made to connect people and widen one’s social reach. But people tend to get addicted and waste a lot of time on these sites; even network gaming has young people hooked.
“I support my elders and agree that our generation has turned lazy,” says Samiksha Neupane, 21, currently a student of Developmental Studies at National College. “Even during my final exams, I tend to allocate a certain time on my schedule for Facebook or TV. The idea of technology is so ingrained into our minds that even though I know that my exams are more important, I still end up spending time on Internet. If I have electricity at home, I use Internet to do things other than being productive. So I guess, in a way, our elders are correct and that technology has turned us a little lazy,” she opines.
But it seems as if laziness cannot be isolated from technology, and various aspects of globalization and urban lifestyle come into play as well. Many people stay at home because of the boom in the entertainment industry, young people have so many ways of keeping themselves occupied at home. And once this culture of couch surfing and laziness starts, it’s very difficult to leave it. Even academically, the bars have been lowered and it’s easier now to score A’s and B’s with little efforts.
“I’m aware that older generations have a tendency to criticize the younger ones. But I tend to take it positively,” says Raj Prasai, 19, studying Environmental Science and Management at SchEMS, adding, “It tends to give you that push to do something. I wouldn’t call my generation lazy because even though we’ve done away with physical work, we’re still working mentally with the help of technology, and if technology makes our work easier, why not go for it?”
People from Generation X usually tend to criticize younger generations, but the young generation seems to take it differently. They believe that the way of living and urban lifestyle has changed the way people work, and because Generation X have difficulty understanding the new ways, they tend to label young people lazy. But work is being done and projects seem to have young people on the frontline. So maybe the young crowd have turned lazy in certain aspects but they seem to make up for it.
Related story
5 lazy girl makeup hacks to transform your mornings
