Young people of today do not directly accept the standards of their parents who believe that they are right because they are older. The adults don't want their values to be questioned. The young on the other hand can not accept the values of their "fathers". All these differences generate a generation gap when the young and adult do not understand one another. As a rule the adults, dissatisfied with their own lives, teach the young how to live. Unfortunately, the adults apply old standards to the new way of life. They can not leave behind their "good old days". This burden is very heavy. They think that the world is going down hill. They gloomily look ahead unable to understand the optimism of their children who want to pave their own way in life. The majority of young people do not want to live in the past. They have their own ideals. They want to make their own mistakes rather than to listen to the warnings of the adults and repeat the mistakes of the older generation. They want to overcome their own difficulties without looking back. However, the life of the young is frequently determined by the adults. And children, in their turn, shock their parents with their dress, language, behaviour. The existence of sub-culture which is specific for every generation is a form of protest of the young people against the values of the adults. Traditionally, young people were looking at their elders for guidance. Today the situation is different. Sometimes the young people share information and experience with their parents. Moreover, young people grow up so quickly that they almost do not have time to enjoy their childhood.
Another problem that young people face today concerns their relationship with their friends. Не/she can be on good terms with the classmates. But at the same time there can be only two or three real friends. It is wonderful if a school friend will remain your friend for the rest of your life. But in this case everything depends on the person.
The problem of love is very important for young people. Today they fall in love when they reach the age of Romeo and Juliet. Romanticism and idealism very often accompany the love of the young. They can love deeply and passionately, they believe that their love will last forever. Unfortunately, often their hearts are broken. Young people are not always ready to have stable relations. In many cases they are too young and inexperienced to begin a family life. They have to continue their education, while family obligations will force them to make money. At the same time without good education it is not easy to find a good job.
Communication has always been an important part of young people's lives. Today they can choose between traditional and new ways of communication. Traditionally the young meet with their friends, make parties, go to the movies or disco clubs to have fun, relax and acquire new friends. But if the young people do not like noisy clubs and other places of entertainment, they can find friends without leaving their homes - the Internet gives such an opportunity. Although this international Web Wide Web is intended for getting knowledge, only few users employ it in this way. Others use different computer programmes to chat with their friends from all over the globe. They can sit for twenty four hours staring at the monitors. Such young people do not eat, sleep, work or learn properly. And it is a great problem of the present and future.
Family Unit
Family is a unit of society. But what does family happiness depend on? To stand the most common parts of a family is not a problem: they are a husband, a wife and children. It’s much more difficult to explain their relationship, their interdependence and their getting over the everyday problems without (quite often) breaking up.
Why do people need a family? Do they get married for love and see marriage as a final realization of a romantic attraction? Or do they marry for convenience to promote a career or to please their families? Studies of marital failure or success show quite clearly that marriage based on romantic attraction doesn’t turn out as well as marriage based upon more comradely affection. To support that conclusion there are the other studies showing that the longer the period of acquaintance before marriage is the greater the chances of marital success you have. This point is quite disputable, but yet… Perhaps, the most essential for marital success is the similarity of social background because marriage involves living with a person, not merely loving him or her.
Matrimonial mates start to see each other in a different light after little time spent together. And on this stage of relationship the role of one’s motives for getting married gives turn to ability of each partner to understand and feel one another. Such prosaic thing as household chores shouldn’t be considered as unimportant in the family life. Women used to bear the burden of household duties and take such complete responsibility for managing the household that husbands simply turned over their paychecks to their wives as a matter of course and left the rest to them. But it seems perfectly reasonable to share the chores, especially taking into account the educational goals because children should be brought up in the atmosphere of shared responsibility of both parents.
However, it is difficult for the parents to keep the golden mean on the long way of upbringing. Childhood can certainly be very happy but its greatest moments can’t be compared with the sheer joy of being an adult. Who has ever asked a six-year-old child for an opinion? Adults often choose the clothes their children will wear, the books they will read and the friends they will play with. No matter how kind and loving adults may be children often suffer from terrible, illogical fears which are the results of ignorance and an inability to understand the world around them. Nothing can equal the fear a child may feel in the darkness, the absolute horror of childish nightmares. Adults can share their fears with other adults; children often face their fears along.
But the most difficult part of childhood for both parents and children is when the latter begin to emerge from their family. Teenagers may rebel violently against parental authority, but that causes them great unhappiness. There is a complete lack of self-confidence during this time. Teenagers are overconscious of their appearance and the impression they make on others. They feel shy, awkward and clumsy. Feelings are intense and hearts are easily broken. And adults are seen to be more hostile than ever. It is important for the parents to cope with it staying calm and without this “you-be-damned” attitude. It’s better to hint a teen on some means of self-fulfillment: music, books or whatever legal and wait for the time he or she appreciates your understanding. All troubles are nothing when you find yourself living with your loving ones.
What is a Normal Person?
This is a difficult question to answer because this word "normal" has several meanings and at least two distinct definitions. When we are dealing with population statistics, we assume that the normal is the average, or something close to it. From such figures, we can form a picture of a normal person who is likely to have a particular height, and we can say that the average person of that height has a certain normal weight. By averaging from the mental capabilities of people who are very clever or very slow at reasoning, we arrive at an average intelligence. By considering everyone's salary or wages, we can work out an average income. This "normal" person would, of course, not be very fit-he would have to suffer an average number of illnesses; nor could he be very contented, since he would have to suffer a number of misfortunes. If he were noticeably successful in life, or particularly handsome or charming, he would cease to be "normal". Even his opinions would have to be rather restrained, because we should work out the way he votes, the church he belongs to, his ideas of what is right and what is wrong, and his choice of clothes, furniture, entertainment and everything else by averaging out the views of the total population from one in each case.