I think every generation is that self-centered.

see testosterone decline:

Older people always think the subsequent generations are idiots. They even say so but at heart they know the subsequent generations are always gonna be better.

This is what my father says after he has used two or three Hindi slangs (abusive words).

We have a proverb that says "Sitar ka goo, na lipan ka na potan ka" loosely translates as "you're turned into shit of a dog, not of any use." They say this for they want everything to be done as they want it to be done.

I'm not against any older generations but morality is transferred the old to the young. The west that is now subject to this young-old differences, imo, is because the west don't have a system of Joint Family.

In short, I don't see a typical Indian family doesn't have this dilemma.

Technology improves standard of living so the next generation will typically have more tools to access to make their lives easier. Does that make them soft. Probably.

It likely takes war or crisis to find out though.

"when I was your age..." I heard that every day as a kid. Now I use it

When we study historical events, we struggle to grasp how human life was considered back in the days. Life was meaningless but also precious. In ancient roman times or during the middle ages, your best friend would have killed you if your two families had some sudden litigation. People used to kill for honor, for futile things like looking someone in the eyes or not crossing a road to show respect.

But life also had a meaning, life meant something every day: sufferings were meaningful, the daily grind was precious. Rest time was so scarce that the pleasure of it was unbarable. Having a piece of red meat once a month was an opportunity for a party.

Now we are not soft, we are simply despaired and without meaning. And we try to tell ourselves that mankind has never seen such progress, such wealth, such technological achievements. That may be true - although I have some doubts. What is also true is that we lost our relationship with the Five Senses.

We watch but generally don't see; we hear but we generally don't listen. We touch but don't feel. Anything seems to have lost its smell and its taste. Our softness is predicated on that, nothing seems scarce, so our westerners sick brains started giving most things for granted. And we give for granted the Google Maps help, so we don't care to remember routes; give food for granted, so we generally don't remember the taste of the steak we eat nor the taste of the eggs.

Softness is not predicated on the fact that we don't have wolves or bears looking actively for our flash. Softness is not predicated on the fact that we don't have an enemy soldier aiming at our windows with their sniper. Softness is in the Grey.

Our parents didn't live through wars, they are relatively young. Possibly, they never suffered thirst nor hunger. They lived though the daily grind of western human life as all of us today are doing, but they are not soft. They fight for what they believe is true, they stand for themselves and for their ideas. They don't punch people because they don't agree with them, even though muscles are not lacking under the skin.

That's not softness, it's lack of A battle to fight. Once you have something to aim for, your softness disappears. Even if you're a thin adolescent in a 21st century western wealthy country.

It really depends on the country, culture, and the level of parental involvement in their education. However, if kids are growing up spending too much time watching TV, browsing YouTube, Tik Tok, Neftflix and whatever nonsense and generally being online much of their spare time —with little outdoor exercise or social interaction—it's not surprising that they might be seen as 'soft'.

These days 75% of kids age 17 to 24 are ineligible for military service due to obesity, drugs, physical and mental health problems, misconduct, and aptitude. What does that tell you?

I don't know...but them snowflakes these days!

Certainly the current generation has been idiotized by phones, by social networks, by all that, which means that you cannot even have, as you said, a social interaction without any device. Many people live in their virtual world, in that world that has them asleep. Certainly past generations focused on love, on interacting and being a better society.

It's not a line but a cycle: hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, weak men create hard times.

Here in Argentina the younger generations see the previous ones, their fathers specially (our boomers), as weak and naive. And they are right. In today's political arena the teenagers are the sharpest, and boomers are helpless.

Doesnt each generation think the previous generation to be archaic? While the previous generation thinks the new generation has become soft? I dont diagree with both points, but l believe there is a bit of truth in both.

They simultaneous think the younger generation are softer, but also more dangerous.

They consider younger generations weaker, but also more criminal.

Less able to survive, but somehow dominating and threatening to the current order.

Any time you see someone arguing these kinds of contradictions you know they're a fool.

"times are bad, children no longer know their gender or their parents, and everyone has a podcast they listen to or host."

people under mind control are not normal. they experience a dis-ease of the mind, due to toxic attacks in the stories, air, water, and food. it's very hard to maintain higher spiritual vibrations under constant bombardment, with little time to reflect. original thought is almost absent, it's usually a regurgitation of someone else's thoughts, and where did they get theirs?

older folks are stuck in their ways, younger folks are confused, and collaboration is absent. where are the grandparents?