The Dying Generation,
An Understanding
The Dying Generation is a biographical ethnographic
depiction of the lives of the generation born in the early to mid-1900's. I
have been granted a unique insight into the lives of the "previous"
generation in my life and journeys. I have spent countless hours in the majlis of Arabic royalty and sitting
under a canopy of grape vines in Bulgarian villages. In my relatively short
life so far, compared to the 80 years plus lived by many of the people I will
be describing, I have met, interacted, ate and drank with many individuals and
communities, giving new perspectives and knowledge to life and ways to live it.
It is not so much these elder ways that are the key point to me writing what I
write here, but instead it is the change and the conflict that occurs between
the elder ways and the quote unquote newer generation that will now over take,
control and consume the world. In my short life span so far, I have met and
talked to men and women, whose accumulated knowledge would span across a whole
century if not more. The men and women that I will be highlighting have lived
through the economic transition of the United Arab Emirates and the fall rise
and fall of the communist state in Bulgaria.
Life in itself it challenging, tough and is
constantly changing, but the change of culture and the gap between generations
can be a drastic one that causes much confusion and struggle between an elderly
population trying to cling to its past and the "better times" and
their children who think the grass is greener on the other side. Such conflicts
are ever more drastic when you think about the culture clash that comes from
transitioning from a communist life style to one dominated by capitalism, or
the way the Bedouin of Arabia would live, nomads and farmers who lived based on
daily needs, to living off millions of dollars from oil revenue. Some
traditions and cultures have been lost whilst others have been converted and
"westernized" to coincide with the "Mc-Donaldization" of
culture. Despite these changes, some things hold fast against the globalization
that is sweeping over many countries and inhabiting many nations. Generation
gaps are not as evident in the "western world", the conflict between disco
and rap is arguably not as drastic as between the change in cultural ways of
life and economic systems.
In my writings I will describe both the
lives of the various people I have interacted with, the stories they have told
and the adventures I have shared with those people. Some insights into their
emotions or thoughts will be based on my perceptions of our meetings and
discussions but the majority of what I write will be based off of first and second
person experiences, that is to say experiences, either I or the person in
question has lived through and shared through conversation. Not only this, but
I will put to you the vast changes and troubles that come with having to come
to terms with the "new world" and how that effects their
relationships with their children and grandchildren.