Recently, I participated in a group discussion about Gen Z. I was wondering what I could contribute to the discussion. Still, I decided to join. Sometimes, listening to a new generation is more valuable than speaking to them.
As expected, everyone came a little late. Being punctual throughout my life, I got irritated. Still, I thought I should wait, as I might not get this opportunity again.
First, Arun, the group’s leader, came over and greeted me.
“Hey, dude, sorry for being late.”
My anger vanished the moment I heard his greeting. Instead of calling me Sir or Uncle, he called me “Dude.”
“Yeah, bro, it is okay,” I replied.
Later, one by one, the others arrived and took their seats. A few greeted me. A few said nothing. Maybe they do not believe in formalities, or perhaps they simply believe that comfort is more important than courtesy.
The leader started the conversation.
“This is a casual meeting. We are not here to discuss any serious matters. We are just here to chill, interact, and get to know each other.”
Then he turned towards me.
“If you wish to start the conversation, we are fine with it. If you think we need any sort of improvement, or if you just want an interaction, whatever it is, it is okay.”
I asked, “People often say that your generation has no commitment towards anything. What is your comment?”
Then Riyaz, who was sitting lazily on the side chair, replied.
“I want to ask you a counter question. You had commitment throughout your life. What did you earn out of it?”
I replied, “I earned respect and happiness by fulfilling my responsibilities.”
He reacted immediately.
“I agree with the first part, respect. But does it really give you happiness?”
I thought for a few minutes.
Yes, he was right.
I had earned respect, but in reality, it had often become a burden in my life.
“You are right,” I admitted.
He continued.
“Secondly, happiness by fulfilling commitments is really making a fool of yourself. By fulfilling commitments, you may get satisfaction, but not happiness.”
I remained silent because he was making a valid point.
Then I said, “Another complaint about your generation is the overuse of mobile phones. Living in reels, not in reality. Still ghosting people.”
Suddenly, Gayu interrupted.
“Hello, Sir, let me ask you a question.”
“Yes, please,” I replied.
“We agree that we overuse mobile phones. But first of all, let me ask you something. Who gave us these mobile phones?”
“You are right,” I replied.
“The generation before us gave them to us in the name of education and also so that we would not disturb our parents while they were busy with work.”
She continued.
“And again, you say that your life is real while ours is fake. Can you please explain the difference between the two? You are under stress, right? We are also under stress, but probably much less than you. Whether we are living in reality or in reels does not really make much difference to us.”
Then Ash stood up and waved her hand.
“I do understand, Uncle…”
She noticed my expression and corrected herself immediately.
“I mean… Sir.”
I was secretly happy about that.
She continued.
“You think we are becoming outdated for companies. We know that. But honestly, we are not bothered about it. Most of our parents have earned enough money. Someone has to spend it anyway.”
Everyone laughed.
“Secondly, we are not getting trapped in the corporate race, so we are safe. Your way of life, constantly being responsible towards work and everything else, honestly does not sound attractive to us.”
I then said, “The least, yet the most important complaint about your generation is that you do not maintain strong relationships. You are simply not bothered about bonding.”
Arun raised his hand and responded.
“Dude… life is about living according to our own choice, not about deliberately making everyone else happy. We are not bad at maintaining relationships. We simply take them lightly. We do not want to become too serious or too worried about everything.”
He continued.
“Let me give you one example. You go to visit an ill uncle and say a few comforting words. But whether he lives or dies is not really going to affect your life. Still, you go because society expects you to. You want people to think you are a good person.”
He paused for a second.
“You attend invited and uninvited weddings just to show that you remember everyone. In the first case, instead of pretending, we simply do not go. In the second case, showing our face at every function does not really make sense because it gives us no benefit. Whether you attend or do not attend, people are eventually going to talk behind your back. So we prefer giving them one genuine reason instead of pretending.”
I smiled.
There was a strange logic in what he said. I did not completely agree, but I could not completely disagree either.
Finally, I asked my last question.
“The younger generation is not interested in getting married and is not keen on having children. Why?”
Aishu stood up and interrupted.
“Yes, we are not interested.”
She smiled before continuing.
“First of all, why should we buy an entire tea shop just to drink tea? If I have to explain it differently, why should we permanently own something just because we want to experience it? Without owning a tea shop, you can still taste different varieties of tea. That is why we love bomb, and sometimes we choose situationships.”
The room burst into laughter.
She continued without hesitation.
“And let me ask you another question. You buy shirts and shoes regularly, right?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I love to.”
“Even if you buy one shirt, if the size is not right, you replace it, right?”
“Yes.”
“Exactly. A partner is just like that. We may change partners frequently until we find the right fit. And sometimes, even after finding the right fit, we may still look for a new one. Is that not exactly what people do with almost everything else in life?”
She smiled again.
“We love benching. That way, no one can make us cry.”
I became red faced.
For the first time in the discussion, I could not find an answer.
I remained silent for a few minutes, looked at all of them, and finally asked,
“Can I get a membership in your company?”