Discovering Gen-Y.. and hearing a cry for Help

I've been coming across many people who tell me that the Generation Y are a difficult bunch to work with. No responsibility, no ownership, job hops like crazy, cant do simple menial tasks right.. yada yada yada.. "Gen Y doesnt have resilience!" "They are terrible!" "Bad attitude!" So many negative labels..

Also with the recent news of the passing of Masterchef 3's Runnerup Josh Marks, it made me ponder.. why?

I read about this story called "A Mother's Hands", which I share with all my students to make them realise the importance of gratitude, and the dangers of an "entitlement mentality". Being in the wellness industry, people often mistaken "wellness" as beauty. Wellness is more than that. According to "Total Fitness & Wellness" by Powers, S.K. & Dodd, S.L., 2009, Pearson Education Inc, it encompasses 6 components; Physical Health, Emotional (Mental) Health, Environmental Health, Spiritual Health, Social Health and Intellectual Health. Complex? I know..

In a nutshell, here's my definition:

• Physical Health - keeping your body healthy and free of diseases/sickness (physically fit & able) Staying young and beautiful on the "outside"
• Emotional Health - also known as Mental Health, means having a good level of confidence, ability to cope with stress, having apt social skills & interpersonal relationships, emotional stability, being balanced/being happy from the inside-out.. in short, having a healthy "heart" (in case of head vs heart) 
• Intellectual Health - having a healthy mind (this is having a healthy "head", in case of head vs heart), and keeping the mind active through life-long learning. Doesnt necessarily mean academics.. we do learn something new everday, you know :)
• Spiritual Health - having something to believe in... it is not limited to religion. For lack of better words, I definte it as "something to live for".
• Social Health - maintaining meaningful relationships with others. It could be a moment of connection, or a lifetime shared between someone you love who loves you :) 
• Environmental Health - the influence of the environment on our health; ie the air that we breathe/smell, the water, noise, security/safety, pollution.. the environment of how we grew up or stay in... whether it is full of love, or hatred, or disappointments etc.. you get my drift?    

So basically, this whole Wellness thingy is a complex sphere of all these factors. Most people would focus on just Physical and Intellectual Health, and currently more attention is being paid to Emotional Health. But still we lack education and understanding on this "total wellness" which is required for healthy, sustainable living. 

My favourite monkeys, knowing how to live life to the fullest ;)
Enjoying one of the "must try" pleasures in life.. an outdoor hot spring. 

Right, so back to my Gen Y analogy.. 

So why do we suddenly have this generation of people who lack the required social skills of simple stuff like being punctual or having ownership (tell-lah if you're not coming or if you're going to be late)? Why couldn't this generation stick to a job instead of job hopping every 3 months? And if you absolutely need to change companies, make a vertical jump not just a horizontal jump for god's sake. Jump up instead of jumping across different industries and making your resume total rubbish because of all the irrelevant experiences which is required for employment. 

Here's the thing. We suddenly have an influx of parents starting from the 80s who needed a double income.. more and more families have both parents working, not that it's a bad thing, mind you. Coupled with divorce rates on an all time sky high (excuse me if I say, people dont try as hard as they used to.. we rather do what is "easy" than what is "right"); Gen Y have a Environmental, Social, Spiritual and Emotional Health void that needs to be filled. But with no proper education or guide, how can you expect this generation to have all the necessary social skills when they have never been taught? My friend Paul told me that humans are creatures that need to be taught. We dont learn things without being taught... either we teach ourselves (this is what I call the "hard way") or we learn it through guidance from others. It kinda makes sense to me.. 

So think about a generation who have things being laid down to them on a silver platter. And then think about the same generation who are neglected, because society is too busy chasing for money that they say "I'll teach you tomorrow".. and then they grew up. 

My favourite example is when we were kids, before 5 years old, we always ask "why".. and imagine the standard response from a parent.."Ask your mom/dad" (subtitle: shifting responsibility) "Dont ask so much! Dont talk so much! Just do" (subtitle: shut down / hostility). Its even worse when the parents are under stress from work.. 

And then we go to school and when you ask too many questions, the teacher (who are mostly overworked, and underpaid.. some just look at it as a passionless past time / job) will probably find you a nuisance, and say "Dont ask so much! Do your work!" 

So for the next 10-15 years, we are conditioned to not ask questions or think for ourselves.. and when we come up to university/employment, we are expected to ask questions or perform something that was never ingrained in us? 

When I first taught at University, I became very concern.. because here comes Gen-Y. A generation that has been labelled with negativity and misunderstood with expectations from people who dont bother to nurture or educate them properly. I am sorry if I sound harsh. I believe that you cant blame someone for things that they do not know. And to expect "ownership" "responsibility" "ability to ask questions and think for themselves" from a generation whose majority has never been taught or conditioned in their formative years... that, in my opinion, is crazy/stupid. 

I teach my students about Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of ethical development. And understanding it, I stress the importance of moving up from Stage 4 to Stage 5. 

Empowerment is about equiping someone with the necessary tools to enable them to have the power or authority to make their own decisions. It is my dream.. Ravissante's touchstone. Empowering people to be independent and have abundance... of love, family, happiness, joy and laughter. 

If you are reading this, I hope that you can think about what I mentioned.. challenge me, question my beliefs.. give me your opinion. And hopefully, together, we can move forward to build a better generation; responsibly... with understanding, empathy, compassion and community.

If you are Gen Y and you're reading this.. I hope you will take on my challenge to be empowered to think for yourselves. Challenge and question everything you read/hear. 

Gen Y are not difficult. They just need some proper guidance. I am doing my part. Will you help me? 

Luv, 
Jane