“Not surprisingly, this decade has been marked by the intense hostility of the young toward truisms that once governed our thinking. As they saw it, the liberal international order didn’t uphold the peace — it bled us dry. Capitalism didn’t make the country rich — it made the rich richer. Silicon Valley didn’t innovate technology — it mined our data. The Church didn’t save souls — it raped children. The cops didn’t serve and protect — they profiled and killed. The media didn’t tell the news — they spun it.”
From This Decade of Disillusion—Bret Stephens
In his wonderful New York Times article, Stephens’s perspective is more in the social context of a young cohort of society, but, to me, it also opens a window of understanding into how and why they may think, as some leaders tell me they do, in a business context—always questioning, always needing answers, being self-absorbed, and not trusting those in authority. People have complained about the younger generation since ancient Greece. But, in an age, where we spend more time trying to convince others that their way of thinking is wrong, rather than having a meaningful dialogue, Stephens offers some valuable insights, which not only open a door to understanding, but also offer some cogent topics for a meaningful discussion. A journey of discovery is so much more valuable that the slavish defense of ideology or dogma.
Good luck on your journey!
