September 11: The Generational Effect

They say that each generation is shaped by one or two events that impact the entire population. In the past, events such as the two World Wars and Vietnam have been implicated as radically changed entire generations.

For example, a colleague of mine mentioned the other day how her generation was affected by certain events in history. Interestingly, although I might have expected that any of the major events of the 50s or 60s would be her generation's catalyst for changing ideals; she claimed that it was the Great Depression (during which she wasn't yet born) that shaped her.

As it turns out, her parents went through the Great Depression, a time of horrific economic hardship. After the country recovered from the Great Depression, her parents eventually gave birth to her and raised her according to their recent experiences. To this day, she continually walks around the building turning off any lights that are left on in rooms no longer in use because that sense of "saving" was instilled in her by her parents. During her childhood, her parents would scold her until they were blue in the face if she dared to leave a room without flipping the light switch.

Flash forward to today and I wonder what my generation's children will be affected by. I was a freshman in college during the attacks of 9/11. In fact, I still remember attending my morning class (before the attack) and then crawling back into bed for some more sleep (like a true college student) before I had to get up for my afternoon lab. No more than 15 minutes after crawling back in bed and falling asleep, one of my neighbors knocked on my door yelling to turn on the TV. After seeing the devastation caused by the first plane's impact, most of my neighbors on my floor gathered in a room together and solemnly watched the tragedy unfold.

Despite being a group of people with different majors, interests, friends, etc, we developed a powerful bond that day by simply watching the news and live video footage. By the time we witnessed the second plane crash and the subsequent collapsing of the towers, we were no longer "that guy down the hall" or the "girl who never talks." We were connected on a much deeper level, something that most of us had probably never experienced until that point. Through our tears, shock, and anger, we ended up eventually reflecting on all that we had and that we could take advantage of as a group of college students.

Three and half years later, my class graduated from college. As per campus tradition, the graduating seniors had a campus-sponsored party at a local restaurant the weekend before graduation. The first group picture I took part in? My freshman year floor. We never lost that bond.

Thinking ahead, the events of 9/11 are going to affect more than my generation. Almost assuredly, the next generation will witness an increase in public building security. Travel will be a slow process due to increased baggage searches and background checks. Of course, those are all relatively superficial changes in the grand scheme of things. However, I believe that the events of 9/11 will also impact my generation's children internally as well as externally.

Much like the children of Depression Era parents, I suspect that many of my generation's children will grow up with a profound sense of family. Already, more of my friends are moving back "home" in a concerted effort to be closer to their parents, often saying something like "you never know" as their reasoning for returning to the town they swore they'd never return to as they walked out of high school graduation. My generation's children might be the first generation to fully embrace staying home as opposed to moving far away immediately upon graduation. The ideas of an "empty nest" to my generation may become almost as foreign as the idea of "turning off electronics" is to today's generations.


Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7610512.stm