We are indeed the generation of ‘less’

We are indeed the generation of less – less achievement, less standards, less responsibility. We are, as I see it, not the what the youth of ’76 aspired for us to become.

These young men and women who today are raising their own children, are forced to come to terms with the stark reality that we might have been given far too much, far too early.

While we deserved freedom, those who raised us never administered the lesson that with every right comes responsibility and everything must always be done in moderation. We are less in so many ways: the fatherless, motherless, childless, jobless, qualification and aspiration-less generation.

We must be adult enough to admit that we are fast becoming those that we hoped we would never become. Those we blamed for our hardships, those we believed put us at disadvantages? We are fast becoming them, leaving scores of children parentless as they are raised by grandparents who come out of retirement to fill the void.

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We have become the generation of “please put in a good word for me at your work”, but never wanting to work too hard. Yes, we knock on doors with printed resumes. But can we sell ourselves professionally when our education was “less”?

And we have less aspiration. We are not driven; we have no vision and are stuck in the here and now, waiting for the next handout – and quick to be upset not receiving it quickly enough.

With the promises of free housing, members of the youth are quick to demand a RDP house, no longer of dreaming of a starter home in a funky young neighbourhood.

The 12 accused of the shooting sprees in Alexandra township is a stark reminder of a youth with no hope and certainly no ambition for a better life, that defies the stereotype of a black township child. This is where are we as a nation: raising ruthless and cold adults.

We are losing not only our humanity, but our children.