Love, and Then Be Loved

After last night’s dinner with my family, father mentioned a topic to me. he thought that what’s the difference between young generation and the old one. With the development of science and technology, remarkable changes have taken place in our life. Some changes are good while others are not.

Have you ever notice that one of these unwelcome changes is that individualism has come to be accepted among young people. Young people today are in general more self-centered and unsympathetic than older generations although many young people don’t see this way.            

Most, if not all, young people today are self-centered and indifferent to others. It is a common scene in students’ dormitories. Some student cheerfully talks to his friend on the phone at midnight or at noon when his roommates are trying hard to sleep. In order to live more comfortably and conveniently, some students rent houses outside campus or buy mobile phones little realizing how hard their parents may be working to support their higher education.

photo from renren.com

In contrast to that, the older generation is self-sacrificed. A suitable case in point is my mother. Like her generation, she had a congenial relationship with the elderly and all her neighbors because of her considerateness.

Another notable characteristic of today’s young people is that they are unsympathetic to others. In public buses, there are usually some seats intended for the old, the weak, the sick, the disabled and the pregnant. But many young people simply take these seats when it’s possible while an elderly man is standing pitifully beside them. Some of them even show no regards for their parents. In sharp contrast, our caring parents always pay attention to our needs and those of others. My parents used to tell me that self-sacrifice is a blessing in disguise and one will be loved only if he loves others.

Young people today are more self-centered and unsympathetic than older generations. It’s necessary for us young people to learn from them: love and then be loved. After all, individualism can only be permitted without the sacrifice of others.