Generation Skeptical
11/4/2002
Realizing that there are always exceptions to the rules, Generation Xers were taught to question everything. We doubt things from the simple everyday techniques of advertisers to the efficiency of the highest levels of government.
Why should anyone take anything for face value? I readily admit that I question things in terms of “how will this benefit me?” Looking out for numero uno is the most basic survival technique in nature. Granted the things we question often are not a matter of life and death, but rather our quality of living.
Why is the number of youths that consider themselves religious shrinking? We, as a whole, question the role that religion has in our everyday lives. Why can’t I be a good person without being religious? Why am I supposed to suffer for the sins of people who may or may not have actually lived?
I have heard Generation Xers categorized as a generation of spoiled .com babies who cannot accept authority. Why should we accept authority? Why should we accept things the way they are? We have become a generation of skeptics, and I am okay with that.
According to www.nyask.com, “Skepticism is a reasoned approach to distinguishing what is counterfeit from what is genuine. It allows us to recognize how costly it can be to ourselves and to society if we fail to weed out fakery and self-deception. Some people mistakenly equate skepticism with an unwillingness to entertain new ideas or to challenge conventional thinking. As every responsible scientist and scholar understands, skepticism is an essential part of the process by which new concepts are formed, tested and ultimately validated.”
I advocate questioning everything but this is not to say undermine authority. If you question things in your life, you will be better equipped to deal with the hardships you will undoubtedly face throughout your life as well as have the knowledge to back up your convictions.
Why? Just Because!