Generational Evolution

On rare occasions the Outsider will depart from its normal auto racing theme.  This is one of those times.

My basic philosophy on life is that people (all of us) do not change. By that I mean that for the most part, we are who we are by the time we hit our mid to late teens. There is a lot of research to back that up but my thoughts come from a lifetime of personal observation of both myself and the world at large. There is no question that the circumstances of our lives can change dramatically, and that we can alter our behavior. A drug addict can definitely get off drugs, but they will remain the same basic person who was susceptible to that addiction. Most addicts that kick drugs return to their addictive ways because they own that kind of personality. Some will kick the habit for life, not because they have changed who they are, but because they are wise enough to stay away from the sort of people and circumstances that make it easy to return to drugs. In other words they changed their behavior, not who they are.

The question is if we remain the same person, as I believe, then why does our life and our world keep changing?

I believe it is because each new generation, has evolved to be different (as a whole) from the previous generation. The world around them changes the type of person they will be. Remember in my model, they have until they are mid to late teens to become who they are.

The more a new generation sees a tendency to view government as existing simply to provide things for them, or adopts an inclination to blame the world around them for their misfortunes, the more that is who they will be for the rest of their lives. It doesn’t mean that they cannot change those tendencies, but it is unlikely because those are life styles that depend on others, not themselves. If they do break the chain of dependency, they will remain (according to my observations) the same person who was formed with a dependant view, and will always remain a viable candidate to be seduced by that life style.

In the same respect if each succeeding generation grows up without the vulgarisms and narrow minded hate of racism, that positive life will have been formed and they will always remain that person. If they have been affected through those formative years, to believe that we need to be good stewards of the earth, then that philosophy will remain at their core throughout their entire life.

The issue is, if a new generation is being formed at all times, how do we accentuate the positives to that generation, and reduce the negatives? How does a population develop that is self sufficient, takes responsibility for their own actions, knows that a government cannot sustain an ever demanding population for eternity, but also knows that a society must provide the same freedom of opportunity for everyone regardless of our differences, and does not automatically dismiss ( due to mistrust of the message carriers) those who would like to leave a “good earth” for each new generation?

Of course the examples that I have given, as far as what are positives and what are negatives, are a both a result of my life observation and my own personal core beliefs.

If a generation with a small tendency to think that it is government’s purpose to ‘give them things” and to “fulfill” their lives‘, than they will breed a new group of citizens with a bigger tendency to demand those same things. In the same fashion one population of people who carry the bigotry of racism, sexism, etc., or who care nothing about the condition of the planet, will only find a new generation that is far worse on those same beliefs.

Lacking religious beliefs becomes easier with each generation. Being un-religious is easier than being religious. I know this from personal experience. Not getting up on Sunday morning or setting aside Saturday is easier than doing so. No strict code of morals to follow. No ridicule from your fellow man. Having no moral compass makes it easy to believe it matters very little what you do or who you do it to. The further we move from God, any God, the more we turn only to other flawed mortals for our saving grace. Mortals cannot give enough and soon the government becomes our God. In the past the Soviet Union, ancient pagan Rome and other such governments tried to be God (or gods) and failed, but only after a long and painful experience.

While we might each remain who we are for eternity, each new generation is almost guaranteed to be different from the last. The question is will they be better or worse?