Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. It has never been truer than it is today. The young are better educated. They have a lot more money to spend and enjoy more freedom. They grow up more quickly and are not so dependent on their parents. They think more for themselves and do not blindly accept the life goals of their elders. Events which the older generation remembers vividly are nothing more than past history. This is as it should be. Every new generation is different from the one before. Today the difference is very noticeable indeed. The old always believe that they know best for the simple reason that they have been around a bit longer. They don't like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And this is exactly what the young are doing. Wouldn't people work best if they were given complete freedom and responsibility? And what about clothing? Who said that all the men in the world should wear dull grey suits and very short haircuts? Who said that human differences can best be solved through normal politics or by violent means? Why have the older generation so often used violence to solve their problems? Why are they so unhappy and guilty in their personal lives, so occupied with mean ambitions and the desire to collect more and more wealth? Haven't the old lost touch with all that is important in life? These are not questions the older generation can shrug off lightly. Their record over the past forty years or so hasn't been exactly spotless. Traditionally, the young have turned to their elders for guidance. Today, the situation might be opposite. The old--if they are prepared to admit it--could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not wrong. Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your free time. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future. This emphasis on the present is only to be expected because the young have grown up under the shadow of the bomb: the constant threat of complete annihilation  . This is just what the older generation has passed down to them. Why do old people always think they know best?
Because they have been around the young for a longer time. Because they have experienced more than the young. Because they hate their values being questioned by the young. Because they think the young should follow their lifestyle.