I always wonder how they
(akina my dad) used to do their swagga thing or how they used to roam
the streets in utter youthfulness with eyes on their “goals” and minds on their
“talls”; with a mission on their “toes”, and pride to kill their flaws… I
always wonder how they used to walk around, talk around and swear around (hakukuwa na words kama “nkt”, ama “damn”,
ama “Geez!” or the *f* word…) iWonder
if their walk was bouncy or ouncy. I don’t know. That is one thing I really need
to ask that old man next time I meet him coz,
yeah, I really need to know… I
need to know if they lied to their parents, if they ever sneaked out just to go
and have a stolen kiss (Geez!)… I
need to know if they ever were teenagers or they just grew up being old, (hehehe), and if they ever were rebels or
veeeeeery, veeeeeery obedient kids. Kama
atanienjoy nitajua tu… But nimegundua
I need to know so many things about how they used to run life. Things that may
prove to me why their generation (generation “X”) was (and still is) so
different from ours....
OK. Let’s look at
some other comparatives… I always wonder if there was lipstick or mascara or iP
(don’t mind how I spell it) or pencils, or supras or tights or sagging or 3 kwenjes… or stillettos, or gladiators just
swagga, you know. iWonder how they
used to do their hair – wachana na hizo
picha wao hutuonyesha, nataka vitu solid and real… iWonder kama kulikuwa na Mohawkers hizo siku zao… iWonder
kama walivaaga some revealing tops kama zetu ama I don’t know what… iWonder
if they ever were lazy or forgetful, or slow or bad at school or ‘badly
influenced by their friends and peers’. iWonder if they ever sinned or got
pregnant before marriage… mavitu kama
hizo, unacheky?! iWonder if there came times when they felt wamejamia mapaaro wao juu ya storo moja ama
nyingine… Of course there were no phones (so no Facebook or Twirra or baba Gooooogle). *Sigh.* Bless the Lord
there were no computers no TV, no radios, *sigh again*… iWonder if their
parents used to get mad at them (maybe around 19-fifty-something), *oh my*…
What was their definition of swagga, anyway? What made life so gorgeous and
interesting in those clumsy times? What was reaaaaallly
that interesting-in-thing hizo siku?
iWonder. I just wonder. Did they have surprises? OK, wacha tusiende huko…
Sasa wacha tuendelee na hii storo… When I was younger
and rowdy, I used to overhear my old chap talk about life in his time and age (that
is when he was exactly the age I was then) to be flowery and angelic - that
somehow inspires me to write another post which I may call “Flowers and
Angels”, hehe… - he really got into my nerves! And it sometimes caused me to
want to say back at him, "Heey, mzee, si uende uishi kwa hizo siku
zenyu poa poa zenye hazikuwa na taabu na matatizo, eeeiiiish!" But I
neither had the grace nor the guts; point being, you can’t talk to your old man
like that. You can’t do that if you still need a roof on your head and free
food and some chum in your torn pockets… So you swallow his noise, pretend it
is ‘really cool’, praise him a lil bit, bring him water to drink, ask him if he
needs his legs washed, warm some water for him, (and even) offer to wash them
as he rants, and move on… but always with a wounded ego… with a judgmental
atmosphere hanging all around you two for the rest of that evening, or morning,
or whatever…
You see, guys of my
dad’s generation make our times seem reeeeaaaally
diabolic, really demonic. They always paint this age (generation “Y”) as
reaaally satanic and reaaally out of place. But I don’t think we are all that.
I don’t think so. I don’t think these generation “X” people have much to offer
in the name of righteousness. I don’t think so. I don’t think they can hail the ‘holier than
thou’ tagline and win. This to me ain’t no win-win situation. It is a two way
thing. We have differences which we should learn to embrace. We are good at one
thing they ain’t. They are good at some things we ain’t. That is the point. We
are both good but at different things. Yeah. We love doing things one way
(because this is 2012, ladies and
gentlemen) while they loved doing
things another way (because that was
the 20th Century, o good people). We-are-di-ffer-re-nt! Eiiish! We can’t run our game like they
used to. They can’t run their game like they used to either. Eiiish! Times have
changed. We can’t run the game the same way. Oh my good Lord, I need more Grace…
Fact has it that two
generations are always at conflict and miles apart in terms of value systems,
conflict resolution, vision building, thought perception, spiritual upbringing
and general likes and dislikes in life. Like it or not that’s just the way it
is. But mystery of mysteries is that when a third generation comes in, the
first one becomes laid back, as the second generation takes over to blame or
criticize the next generation. And the cycle goes on and on… So these are some
of the things we can stumble on and learn to live with or conquer;
No. 1 - They are old. We are young. Old is old. Young is young.
Young may love some few aspects of old, but it is still young, and vice versa –
that’s where the game should always begin whether in natural aspects or in
spiritual matters…
No. 2 - They were young, and now they are old. We are young, and
we-are-still-young! Hehe! This question of “What happened
to the good old days?”, that they love asking daily should stop. Even the Bible
in Ecclesiastes 7:10 (NIV) says “Do not say, ‘Why
were the old days better than these?’
For
it is not wise to ask such questions...” Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
it-is-not-wise-to-ask-such-questions! Really. *While making sign of the cross – Amen!* And
reality has it that we soon will be
asking the same question to the next generation (which I choose to call “Z”). I
guess it will be more weird than we are today – I think we’ll kick those kids
really hard too shape them in the ways of the Lord… hehe… Let’s go on…
No. 3 – A lot has changed. Technology has changed. The
dressing code has changed. Speech has changed. Linguistic orientations have
changed. People have changed. Smiles have changed. Desires have changed. Motivators
have changed. Love has somehow changed. Value systems have changed. They may
have changed for the good or for the worse, but they have changed anyway.
Parenting has changed - so has “kidding”.
We should just embrace today as it is, and learn to deal with it just as it is.
No blame games. No ‘good old day’ tags. No ‘watoto
wa siku hizi’ tags. Things have changed bwana
– no need to say too much on this, buddies...
No. 4 – Let me make this one my last one on this one. Guys,
guys, guys, stomp! We disagree a lot
with those people from generation “X”. Can’t we just sit down and understand
one another? OK. I understand peroos
are kind-a like, “We are de say in dis
pliace,” but if we sit down just a lil bit everyday and look each other in
the eye, and be concerned with what our peroos
feel about us and what we feel about them, we can understand one another. I
think so. I think step by step, day by day, we can understand each other if we
choose to listen to each other. We can reach a consensus. So if you are a
parent and you read this blog and you too are a young person reading it, make
it a choice to create a platform where there can be understanding between you
and your child/parent.
Generational gaps should not be a hindrance to our
unity as children and parents. We should seek to agree even if it seems
impossible. Let’s not make it harder to join these generations. Of course they
will never be uniformly united, but they can agree in the most essential parts
of living. It is for this reason that when the next generation comes in, it can
find a solid ground to build on from – somewhere to begin. Somewhere where
people talk to one another and agree even when things have (or are) really
blown or are blowing apart. The generation that is to come, generation “Z”,
(whatever that means), should not grow apart from us but should grow at par
with us…
So, go out there and make it count!
Blessings.
Morris.
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