Unprepared hikers

[Hosh]

Hence the reason not to trash a generation with generalities and innuendos.

Even though you don't think it's an age issue, I too frequently hear old people bitchin about something, especially younger people. Might be helpful for the complainers to try something new without knowledge or formal preparations, could be fun.

[greensleep]

Hence the reason not to trash a generation with generalities and innuendos.

Even though you don't think it's an age issue, I too frequently hear old people bitchin about something, especially younger people. Might be helpful for the complainers to try something new without knowledge or formal preparations, could be fun.

Reminds me of what we said when we were 17-21. (we being over 60's) I believe this can be said in every generation, though, concerning nearly all topics.

[egilbe]

Hence the reason not to trash a generation with generalities and innuendos.

Even though you don't think it's an age issue, I too frequently hear old people bitchin about something, especially younger people. Might be helpful for the complainers to try something new without knowledge or formal preparations, could be fun.

Old people get old by learning how to avoid risk, or learning how to balance risk vs reward so they don't die experiencing something new. It's called wisdom. It comes from experience. One doesn't gain experience when one does something new and dies. The paper is full of tragic deaths of young people. Old people have already learned how to live. Young people are too stupid, haven't lived long enough to earn wisdom.

Why do you think every generation thinks the successive one was worse? It's because they are.

[Traveler]

Old people get old by learning how to avoid risk, or learning how to balance risk vs reward so they don't die experiencing something new. It's called wisdom. It comes from experience. One doesn't gain experience when one does something new and dies. The paper is full of tragic deaths of young people. Old people have already learned how to live. Young people are too stupid, haven't lived long enough to earn wisdom.

Why do you think every generation thinks the successive one was worse? It's because they are.

This may be confusing stupid with ignorance. As my grandfather used to say, "Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever". Absent education ignorance is what remains. Specific education in this activity can be difficult to obtain on a first hand experience basis, so there are books, Youtube videos, and of course this body of august, sage keepers of the faith. But some people don't pursue it that far and end up unprepared due to lack of knowledge.

In my experience people tend to be shy about asking questions about very basic things they may see. So, if you see someone in rapt attention at how you hang a bear bag or set up a stove, ask them if they have done it before and if they would like to try. I am continually amazed at how many people that breaks the ice with and the questions start up, which cures ignorance.

That can fix ignorance. On the other hand, if anyone says to you, "Here, hold my beer and watch this", its a pretty safe bet the one using that phrase is stupid and something very stupid, if not entertaining will occur following the beer can exchange.

[firesign]

Old people get old by learning how to avoid risk, or learning how to balance risk vs reward so they don't die experiencing something new. It's called wisdom. It comes from experience. One doesn't gain experience when one does something new and dies. The paper is full of tragic deaths of young people. Old people have already learned how to live. Young people are too stupid, haven't lived long enough to earn wisdom.

Why do you think every generation thinks the successive one was worse? It's because they are.

The world leaders; the pinnacles of our societies; the people that are really f'ing up our planet are not the young people who are too stupid, they are the Old people who have already learned how to live and who have lived long enough to earn Wisdom which comes from their Experience. The papers are full of tragic deaths of men, women and children killed by the decisions of older and wiser politicians.

Why do you think that the younger generations thinks that older and wiser generations are really Dick Heads is disguise?

[Sarcasm the elf]

... You kids get off my lawn!

Fixed that for you...

[Uriah]

The papers are full of tragic deaths of men, women and children killed by the decisions of older and wiser politicians. Why do you think that the younger generations thinks that older and wiser generations are really Dick Heads is disguise?

This reminds me of the great EA quote: "The tragedy of modern war is that the young men die fighting each other - instead of their real enemies back home in the capitals."

[Another Kevin]

Old people get old by learning how to avoid risk, or learning how to balance risk vs reward so they don't die experiencing something new. It's called wisdom. It comes from experience. One doesn't gain experience when one does something new and dies. The paper is full of tragic deaths of young people. Old people have already learned how to live. Young people are too stupid, haven't lived long enough to earn wisdom.

Why do you think every generation thinks the successive one was worse? It's because they are.

That narrative is as old as history.

Certainly in all the Abrahamic religions, the overarching tale is of a world in decline. God no longer speaks to the prophets, and each successive generation hears their words at greater remove and more corrupted, until (Moshiach/the return of Jesus/the Mahdi) will come to destroy the world and rebuild it anew.

But that belief is held in other traditions as well. The ancient Greeks had five ages of the world: a Golden Age, ruled by Cronus (Saturn) and Astraea; a Silver Age when the world was in perpetual springtime and humans lived in endless childhood; a Bronze Age of great warriors when the gods still walked the Earth; the Heroic Age of the Seven Against Thebes and the Trojan War; our own Iron Age, characterized by toil and hardship,;and the Leaden Age that is to come, when Aidos and Nemesis will depart the Earth, tearing down the last bulwarks against human evil and stupidity. Men will be born aged, and all standards of righteousness will be ignored, until Zeus destroys the race and Astraea returns to found a new one.

The Hindus, the Buddhists and Norse have similar narratives of a world created pure and ending in the abyss. The Hindus have a similar cycle of ages (identified by colors rather than metals) to the Greeks. The Buddhists foretell the coming of an age where all dharma will be forgotten and even the Buddha will no longer be remembered, until Maitreya shall come to rule over the Pure Land, or alternatively of the destruction of the Earth by the Seven Suns. The Voluspa tells of (apologies for the bad translation):

hart er í heimi, hórdómr mikill,
skeggöld, skalmöld, skildir ro klofnir,
vindöld, vargöld, áðr veröld steypisk;
mun engi maðr öðrum þyrma.

Hard it goes for the Earth, with great whoredom,
An axe-time, a sword-time shields are shattered,
A wind-time, a wolf-time ere the world wanes,
Nor ever shall men spare each other.

I don't know. I don't think we're that bad. There are saints and sinners, fools and sages, heroes and poltroons, among all generations, young and old. We keep muddling through somehow.

[Maydog]

Stupidity is hard to see in the mirror.

[OkeefenokeeJoe]

Most people are simply stupid.
Especially the millenials
And more and more of them are showing up to hike all trails due to facebook.

There a book out there "The dumbest generation: how the digital age stupefies young americans and jeopardizes our future"

Worth reading
I encounter this all the time
Young people that cant do a simple thing worth a f#$k.

AMEN, my Brother!

The current batch of millennials is the end product of political correctness, combined with government education (common core), and a liberal society void of morals and ethics. Feelings/Emotions trump Common Sense/Logic/Education. Historical revisionism trumps Historical fact.

I would dare say that a student completing the 8th grade in 1964 was far better educated and far better adjusted than today's emotionally frail millennials with college degrees. In fact, as a result of interviewing countless college educated millennials for professional positions, a huge percentage are, for all practical purposes, illiterate.

It is easy to see how this contributes to ignorance on the trail.

It's a sad sad commentary, indeed.

OkeefenokeeJoe

[Traveler]

Too much coffee and FOX....

[BonBon]

I have been employing teenagers and young people for many years. Used to be, kids would show up to their first job knowing how to connect the dots and could be pretty easily trained to be capable employees. As the years have gone by, I now am faced with young people who have zero skills in terms of time management, conflict resolution, and general dot connection. They are very difficult to train to be independent and need lots of direction and feedback. But what I have realized is this- it's not their fault. The generation of kids I am getting has been helicopter-mommed their whole lives. Play dates, constant scheduled activities where the kids are dropped off, supervised, and picked up at a certain time. There is no room for independent growth in this modern scenario. My best employees are kids of single cash strapped moms or those whose parents believe in the idea that one sport or activity each is enough. They have let their kids go outside and play- be back for dinner. So much is learned just by hanging out with friends without parental supervision 24/7. Of course, those parents are judged and criticized. Cable news, in my opinion, has created a generation of terrified parents who over-manage their kids. That said- once the kids are trained and given responsibility, they are great. It is just harder to get them there. The young people I met on the trail inspired a lot of faith in me - that we are all going to be ok.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I have been employing teenagers and young people for many years. Used to be, kids would show up to their first job knowing how to connect the dots and could be pretty easily trained to be capable employees. As the years have gone by, I now am faced with young people who have zero skills in terms of time management, conflict resolution, and general dot connection. They are very difficult to train to be independent and need lots of direction and feedback. But what I have realized is this- it's not their fault. The generation of kids I am getting has been helicopter-mommed their whole lives. Play dates, constant scheduled activities where the kids are dropped off, supervised, and picked up at a certain time. There is no room for independent growth in this modern scenario. My best employees are kids of single cash strapped moms or those whose parents believe in the idea that one sport or activity each is enough. They have let their kids go outside and play- be back for dinner. So much is learned just by hanging out with friends without parental supervision 24/7. Of course, those parents are judged and criticized. Cable news, in my opinion, has created a generation of terrified parents who over-manage their kids. That said- once the kids are trained and given responsibility, they are great. It is just harder to get them there. The young people I met on the trail inspired a lot of faith in me - that we are all going to be ok.

That is spot on.

[Gonecampn]

There is always "one bad apple" that ruins it for many (in this case more than a few). I am afraid that this is why we will eventually start to see restriction on many of the places that we love to travel. For myself, a few of those places would be the canyons of Utah and the AT. Every so often I hear comments about limiting the number of visitors, charging large fees, etc. due to the irresponsible actions of others. I hope it never comes to this .....

[jeffmeh]

That is spot on.

+1

http://www.freerangekids.com/

[rocketsocks]

+1

http://www.freerangekids.com/

+2.................

[Connie]

AMEN, my Brother!

The current batch of millennials is the end product of political correctness, combined with government education (common core), and a liberal society void of morals and ethics. Feelings/Emotions trump Common Sense/Logic/Education. Historical revisionism trumps Historical fact.

I would dare say that a student completing the 8th grade in 1964 was far better educated and far better adjusted than today's emotionally frail millennials with college degrees. In fact, as a result of interviewing countless college educated millennials for professional positions, a huge percentage are, for all practical purposes, illiterate.

It is easy to see how this contributes to ignorance on the trail.

It's a sad sad commentary, indeed.

OkeefenokeeJoe

I went to college, university and an art institute: all three gave out bachelor's degrees without attending classes or doing special studies or independent studies. I know one heretofore prestigous private college give out a doctorate of law.

If this is who the millenials are, we will have more numbers of the not-so-elite.

The attitude of "entitlement" is the problem.

[burger]

I have been employing teenagers and young people for many years. Used to be, kids would show up to their first job knowing how to connect the dots and could be pretty easily trained to be capable employees. As the years have gone by, I now am faced with young people who have zero skills in terms of time management, conflict resolution, and general dot connection. They are very difficult to train to be independent and need lots of direction and feedback. But what I have realized is this- it's not their fault. The generation of kids I am getting has been helicopter-mommed their whole lives. Play dates, constant scheduled activities where the kids are dropped off, supervised, and picked up at a certain time. There is no room for independent growth in this modern scenario. My best employees are kids of single cash strapped moms or those whose parents believe in the idea that one sport or activity each is enough. They have let their kids go outside and play- be back for dinner. So much is learned just by hanging out with friends without parental supervision 24/7. Of course, those parents are judged and criticized. Cable news, in my opinion, has created a generation of terrified parents who over-manage their kids. That said- once the kids are trained and given responsibility, they are great. It is just harder to get them there. The young people I met on the trail inspired a lot of faith in me - that we are all going to be ok.

Like I said earlier, people have been saying silly stuff like this for literally over a thousand years. It wasn't true then, and it's not true now. Even if it was true that your employees lack skills, there is ZERO evidence that this is due to "play dates" and "helicopter moms."

You're entitled to your opinion, but it's evidence-free. Just because you say that's how kids are doesn't mean it's true.

[BonBon]

I'll stand by my observations. This is the reality of running my business now- not when I first started. It is something we have to deal with more and more -it's real-and I really believe the kids have been done a great disservice when they have their entire lives arranged for them from top to bottom.

[Traveler]

As people get older, their patience and perspectives change when it comes to younger generations, this is nothing new nor are the accusations that the younger generations are lazy, not well educated, not motivated, ad nauseam. Complaints typed here echo from ancient times where the same things were being said:

"The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress."
(From a sermon preached by Peter the Hermit in A.D. 1274)

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint".
(Hesiod, 8th century BC)

'The children now love luxury; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are tyrants, not servants of the households. They no longer rise when their elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize over their teachers.'
(Commonly attributed to SOCRATES by Plato)



Nothing new here.