Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Muddled generation

Instead of getting into a war of words over "Who is to blame for their muddled thinking?" (Open Page, April 2), let us look at straightening out things. The present generation is indeed in a muddled state. It is also true, as the article argues, that the young need effective guides. But unless we, the muddled young, decide to change, there is no real hope. A dramatic change is impossible but we can avoid the cumulative effects of this muddled generation from being passed on to the next generation. We can make our children more responsible for their actions, teach them to be compassionate by being compassionate ourselves, and let them know that level-headedness is not arrogance.

Ujwal R. Unni,
Chennai

* * *

As Burke Hedges has rightly said in his book Copycat Marketing, we live in a world of copycats. Right from birth, the child is taught to copy parents. Children do what their parents do. I remember a joke about a man telling his teenage son that when Lal Bahadur Shastri was of his age, he used to read under streetlight, and the boy replying: "He became the Prime Minister of India at your age."

Pardeep Kansal,
Bathinda, Punjab

* * *

Many educational institutions have hourly-paid teachers who don't and can't have a sense of belonging. They are more interested in private tuitions. Parents live life at a hectic pace and allot little time for their wards. They surrender their wards to a tutor while they continue with their normal routine. Instead of just blaming it on parents and teachers, a strong concern for juvenile difficulties will yield positive results.

T. Marx,
Karaikal, Pondicherry

* * *

I am the typical youngster, whom the article "Our muddled generation" (March 26) refers to as evasive and irresponsible. There is nothing surprising about the young being evasive and irresponsible because we are living in a time when pay packets and position matter more than ethics and excellence.

Sethuraman Sundar,
Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

Being part of the so-called muddled generation, I think it is time people stopped telling us that something is wrong with us. It is our generation that is getting global recognition.

Suvrat Barar,
Faridabad

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