We are at a turning point to be driven by the youth of today
If you are a student of history or the social sciences, or of human nature itself, you will be familiar with the concept of life cycles and patterns. This is the idea that regardless of where we are on this journey we call life, there is a cycle to it. One of my favourite quotes that echoes this comes from Mark Twain who famously said
‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes’
There are several versions of this idea spanning across centuries of historical thinkers often describing four distinct phases. The first came from the Fourteenth-century Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun who formulated the ‘Cyclical Theory’ which defines the rise and fall of sovereign powers describing them as living organisms that go through four cycles, born, grow, mature and die.
This brings me to the pattern of history with a keen eye on how generations form and manifest throughout these cycles each taking on a new role depending on what part of the cycle they fall in.
According to Strauss & Howe, authors of ‘The Fourth Turning’, historical events are associated with recurring generational personas (archetypes) who unleash a new era called a turning which comes with a new social, political and economic climate. Called the generational cycle theory, this cycle also comes in four. The ‘first turning” is a High, the second a phase of Awakening, the third one of an Unraveling, and the fourth turning is a Crisis.
Author of ‘The Laws of Human Nature’, Robert Greene, also chimes in this conversation by describing four different generations marked by where they sit along the cycle..
It starts with the first generation known as the revolutionaries who make a radical break from the past looking to establish new values and in the process create chaos in doing so, the second crave a sense of order after feeling the remnants of the revolution, the third generation, now having little direct connection to the revolution feel less passionate about it and are looking to make life as comfortable as possible. In the process, they drain out the original spirit of the revolution and are focused on material concerns; the Baby Boomers most resemble this. This is then followed by the fourth generation who feel life has lost its vitality, they start to question the values of previous generations and grow cynical. This is when a crisis starts to emerge. The cycle starts again with the revolutionary generation who come in with vigor looking to break down the old order and here again we start to see new values emerge.
So where are we now?
Being someone who generally sways towards a dose of optimism in the peak of a crisis, and someone who is surrounded by lots of young people, I believe we are at a turning point that will bring with it the kind of change we are all crying out for.
While millennials (generally defined as those born in the 1980s and 1990s) have been in the spotlight over the last two decades, some of the most influential people in this generation have now become associated with some of the ills of today’s society. Think Mark Zuckerberg with his social media empire, and The Kardashians with their intense hunger for fame and fuelling social media superficiality.
They have however lived through an era marked by high levels of turbulence including the global financial crisis, the global war on terror, and natural disasters to just name a few. They were also the guinea pigs in the social experiment being the first generation of young people to grow up in an era of social media without an understanding of the implications on the growing and developing brain and overall mental health.
Millennials are the fourth generation Robert Greene refers to. They are fed up with the current system but don’t quite know what to do to replace it.
We are also living through the crisis point Strauss & Howe refer to in the ‘The Fourth Turning’, is a period marked by prolonged crisis, leading to severe economic turbulences and often even war. The most recent was the Great Depression and World War II (1929–1946). There is no question the Covid pandemic will see prolonged economic, social, and civil unrest with some predicting it will take us into the decade.
This is where the youth of today come in. Here I am referring to people still in their teens and younger, the eldest in their late teens. They will be what Robert Green calls the revolutionists. While most are still young and in their formative years, we are already seeing some of the older from this generation (the teens) making a dent. The most symbolic person of this generation is Swedish activist Greta Thunberg who made headlines when she delivered a scathing speech at the UN General Assembly. She also sparked a major change in the climate change movement which saw millions of young students take to the streets around the world advocating for real and immediate change.
Greta is just one of many young activists pushing for change across climate change and other political issues.
Unlike previous generations, the role of social media is taking on a new meaning with today's young people. Rather than using it to drive definitions of success with beauty and popularity, they are leveraging social media for good by using it to tackle complex issues, support activism, and do their part for the greater good. Sixteen year old Millie Bobby Brown, actor of Stranger Things is just one example who regularly uses her platform to highlight social issues.
Before we start to see the fruits of this emerging generation, it is likely we will continue to undergo on-going turbulence for some time. What they do give us however is hope for a better future. If you are the parent, family member, or the educator of this generation, you have an opportunity to shape and support what may be the most inspiring generation to come.
