Then and Now

The difference between our generation and the kids' generation today is that we grew up in a world where things were very hard to attain. Ang lyrics ng mga favorite mong kanta kailangang pag-ipunan o ipagtabi ng baon para mabili mo yung songhits na meron sila. And we keep them even if they were punit-punit na dahil sayang ang pinambili at dahil nandun pa yung centerfold poster ng paborito mong banda. 

We grew up renting things: movies, comics, game & watch, pocketbooks, computers, etc.  These things made us wish and dream to work hard so we can own and buy them someday.

I remember renting this after school kay Manong sa labas ng campus namin.

Things weren't disposable. Toys don't come assembled (READ: Tamiya). Communication with friends/relatives are hard--unless you were blessed with a house with a telephone line which took months, sometimes years, to get installed. So we cherish each moment we spend with them. Naiipon ang kuwento, no time was wasted when we were with them.

We value even the most mundane things because we knew they were fragile and hard to get a hold of again. We went to stores and we got disappointed because our favorite band's cassette album was sold out. Good luck sa paghihintay kung kelan sila magkakaroon ng stocks ulit. We learned the value of being patient. 

We had few real friends. We try to be good friends to our friends because we knew that if we lost them, we'll be stuck in school without someone to talk to and share gossips to and we'll have no one to play with at home. That's pakikisama for you.

We were too afraid to fail at anything. We knew then that if we did, it would be a huge deal at home. We'd be the laughing stock of our friends. We did everything then with all our best (and we wished that God will do the rest :D).

On the other hand, kids today, our kids, will grow up in a world where everything is easy and free. The things--songs, games, books, movies--they will love will be available to them in a matter of minutes. Everything is convenient, therefore, nothing is valued. The things we used to dream of buying when we were 12, they own a better version of it--even way more expensive--at 6. They can afford to lose their friends now, they have 2846 other 'friends' at Facebook anyway who will 'like' them whether they suck at school or whether they argue with their parents. 

They will not wait for anything because their life is too fast-paced now and anything that will slow them down, they won't stand for it. You can't argue with them anymore, they know a lot about things now thanks to Google. You can't scare them with aswangs, tikbalangs, mumu or dwendes anymore. If you want scary, threaten them that you'll hide all the chargers of their gadgets and they'll be squirming in no time. Laughter is easy to come by for our kids. Let them browse 9gag and they'll be chuckling in no time. 

Contentment is a huge foreign word to them because there are just a gazillion of things to want and want and want. And they know they will have them in an instant because you, who grew up in a deprived world with a huge desire to please your kids, will give whatever they want in a heartbeat.