Ever catch your grandparents or parents saying, "Back in our day, people were better," "Back in our day, relationships were honest," "Back in our day, food, education, life—all better"? It's not just in our home. In nearly every society worldwide, people say this. The funny part? Those griping about today's youth were once the "new generation" in their elders' eyes.
So why does this happen? Why does every generation think their time was better? The reason's simple. It's tied to our memories, experiences, and thinking. First reason is memory's effect. As we age, we start thinking stuff from our childhood and youth was better.
So that time feels packed with happiness. Gradually, we forget the troubles of that time and only remember the good. That's why we think our time was the best. Second reason is attachment to our habits. People love what they grew up with most.
If someone listened to old songs, those songs seem the best. If someone spent childhood playing outside, today's mobile games seem less appealing. Every generation thinks their habits are right and sees new stuff as a bit odd. Third reason is difficulty accepting change. The world's always changing. First, letters were written, then the telephone came, then mobile phones, now it's the internet and social media.That might be partly true. But today's kids have more opportunities for education, information, and learning than ever before.
They can get any info in the world from home. So every time has some good and some bad. Another reason is the way of comparison. When people compare their time with today, they remember the good of their time and look at the bad of today. Like they say, before, neighbors helped each other, families lived together, people socialized more. That's largely true. But before, there were many difficulties too—lack of good education, lack of healthcare, fewer facilities, economic problems. Over time, people forget these troubles.
Interestingly, today's youth will say the same thing in the future. Kids growing up with the internet, mobile phones, and social media today might say 30–40 years later that "friendship was real in our time," "the internet was good in our time," or "people were happier in our time." This mindset is almost universal across generations.
This doesn't mean the older generation is always wrong. Their experiences are very important. They've seen many tough times in life. Meanwhile, the new generation faces new challenges. So both can be right based on their own experiences.
The key is that we should try to understand each other. The elderly should understand the new generation's difficulties, and young people should respect the experiences of their elders. Every era has its good things and its shortcomings. No time is completely good or completely bad.
In the end, the truth is every generation thinks its own time is better because it's the most special part of their lives. We remember our childhood, our friends, our games, our dreams, and our first joys. So we feel our time was the best. That's why nearly every generation says—'everything was better in our time.'
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