Current Vs Previous Generation..who Had It Better?

In some ways better but some ways deteriorated..
I've also lived in 80s..
We never had fancy gadgets during ours and parents childhood days..
Mobile phones were unheard of! Even landline or PC with internet connection was luxury...so we all had extensive book reading habits for project work and for entertainment also, like fiction, non fiction, thriller novels etc...
TV also we had Doordarshan and limited channels only..
Present generation kids are So hooked to gadgets ! Very rare to find kids who love reading books!
Now availability of junk food is more..compared to many years ago...kids hardly eat wholesome home cooked food..
Noticing that kids are crankier and more demanding...
With few ordinary sets of clothes all middle class people spent childhood..now a days youngsters have so many branded high end designer dresses yet unsatisfied and feel they don't have anything nice to wear!
Now women are Multi tasking, excelling in education, career etc to compete with male counterparts..but they juggle career and family by burning the midnight oil at the risk of their health too..just a graduation degree which was very good for previous generation people is of of no use now...either need to do post grad or professional course ..
Those days only common food was prepared for all, and toddlers and kids would eat that only am obediently too..nowadays in spite of preparing so many baby foods, usage of commercially available packed and processed baby food and mixes with different taste, kids don't want to eat at all...
Previous generation people would respect and listen to and consult elders for everything..present generation not so much..even when parents say something for the good of their children the children are not willing to even listen and answer back rudely and arrogantly..
Quality of life improved drastically...but pollution, low quality of food and adulterated stuff available in market, lack of cleanliness , degraded human values, lifestyle related health issues etc..these are drawbacks..
FYI I'm not all that old! But in passing of years I could find so much difference in generations!i can't identify with the kids who call me "auntie" .. Hehe..

 

less greed and get more philosophical. There is no end to "more and more" of anything. Do not compare, because there is only one "you". Happiness comes within and how you perceive. Find time to be with your loved ones and do things together; and more importantly, communicate. Try to focus on good things from both east and west. We have a saying - look up and you see the mountains and look down and you see the valleys. From time to time cherish what you have without comparing yourself to anyone else.

 

Definitely, I had more relaxed setting when growing up and my parents didn't have any expectation! We went along with where our life took us - Didn't have much exposure to outside world, and Indira Gandhi / Rajivi Gandhi were the window of the world.

Now, we are 'designing' babies! Kids are born smart / in a hurry to grow and become stagnant when they reach their adult life, too tired, lost their vibe, seen it / done it all in their early life (I already know all the magic tricks and their secrets....want something new)

Personally, we had the best time of both worlds. I doubt that our kids feel any further excitement unless there is a new planet to explore....beyond earth or some new technology to please them.

May be our grand kids will live in a new 'found' world, live forever young, without death!

 

I am really surprised to read all the comments about today's children and youth. I have two kids- ages 7 and 4 and we have play dates with their friends so I would say I am seeing these young kids every day. No, they are not attached to gadgets even in the middle of crazy winter and no, they are not arrogant. Most kids that I have interacted with love reading (of course parents or caretakers have to read to them and spend time), playing outdoors, board games, and screen time if allowed. Neither my kids nor their friends know anything about trendy fashion or brand names except for those whose parents talk about brands and will not buy anything below MK. I don't make anything special for kids, we all eat together whatever we cook. Although we do involve kids in menu planning and they get to choose if one night they want to have Mac an Cheese and we all eat Mac n Cheese then. I think the kids are doing just fine.

Coming to OP's question: OP in my humble opinion, every generation has it better than the previous generation. However, each generation had the best that time allowed. I am 40, right in the middle of two generations: my older sisters and cousins are now in 50s, my nephews and nieces are in the late 20s. My sisters who were born in 60s (all working women) had to work hard to get equal status at home which wasn't still equal. Men didn't realize that a working wife needs help at home. Since their mom did all the household work they expected their wives to do the same. However, financial independence brought some sort of equality or power for women. My generation (late 30s early 40s) had it a bit better than the previous generation. More women became educated, more power to them. The third generation (born in 90s), I really see a whole lot of progress. Two of my nephews are now married and I see equal partnership and parenting in both cases. My mom (born in 40s) was a working woman and she was able to make her decisions. Financial independence and two working parents improved the lifestyle and the quality of life for many households. By quality of life, I don't mean the ability to buy designer clothes rather impact on well being- physical, emotional, and social. People could afford better houses, better medical care, better transportation, coolers/ACs etc. And the same is true in the USA too. My MIL (also born in 40s) wasn't allowed to wear pants at work, they had to wear skirts and dresses (the dress code) so things have changed all around the world.

In terms of food and environment- better education has also provided us with the knowledge of good and bad. We can choose to eat healthy or quick and easy junk food. There was enough junk food in the past as well and there are enough healthy options now too. I understand that increasing pollution is an issue but we all have to collectively try to minimize waste and wasteful habits.

 

Did Nandini from previous generation had or Nivedita from this generation have a better life?

No clue as I would not know what it is to be a Nandini or a Nivedita.

But I do know what it is to be a Novalis skin deep, so on the lines of the refined inquiry ...would a Novalis in the past or a Novalis from the now? Surely, Novalis of this generation is leading a more prosperous and engaging life.

Any Novalis in the past generation would have been armed with less opportunities to explore, not just as a woman but also as a social human. There is much awareness and potential in education, work, health, relationship of this generation. A Novalis would any day prefer to set forth in the age with opportunities abound rather than simplicity abound. Perhaps a Novalis from that generation chose from uncomplicated awakenings, yet, I would prefer this Novalis (current generation) spoiled with abundant choice in the dealings of her life.

Opportunities amidst the encroachment matters to a Novalis. A Novalis would feel empowered rather than encumbered with fraught opportunities despite the impinging blowback on all fronts. Yes, even with that received wisdom of the rise in the stress level,peer pressure,lack of relationships,organized playtimes, rise in obesity,status conscious, a Novalis still prefers such skittish environment, because, a Novalis being the shrewd and agile mammal descended from her ancestral tiny-legged escapee from the comet-ravaged planet which devastated the dinosaurs, this Novalis too hunts for opportunistic growth in the vastness of this generational offerings.

A woman like Novalis thrives in this generation.

Novalis with her temperament and leanings finds this generation fulfilling to her outrageous escapades.

A groomed Novalis from this generation is much better that any Novalis from the past generation hampered by lack of rightful education and alienation at work and invasion of superstitious dogma and confusion in that unmoored identity. I absolutely cherish the fact of being a Novalis of today redeemed out of the crudity of her forebears.

 

Yes, we are much bigger in this generation than we used to be in the past generation. It is all well that we like challenges, but then, one ought to be able to carry the heavy anchor that is one's own butt, and then ponder those conquerables.

Years ago, during the socialist raj, we had skinny people. All the people had ration cards. For food grains (wheat, rice), sugar, coffee and a few other items. Now, as the saying goes, if you got the money, you'd get the honey. No ration cards.

Indian children (usually Bihar, and UP) pictures would be in the big and glossy LIFE magazine. All dark, emaciated, and bellies swollen. Just like African kids. Now, there are children in Indian Glossy Magazines, positively radiating health, advertising hundreds of processed foods.

We now worry about being too big; we used to worry about not having enough to eat. <source: wikipedia>

Obesity in India has reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century, with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the country's population.[1] India is following a trend of other developing countries that are steadily becoming more obese. Unhealthy, processed food has become much more accessible following India's continued integration in global food markets. This, combined with rising middle class incomes, is increasing the average caloric intake per individual among middle class and high income households.[2] Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, NGOs such as the Indian Heart Association have been raising awareness about this issue.[3]

While studying 22 different SNPs near to MC4-R gene, scientists have identified a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) named rs12970134 to be mostly associated with waist circumference. In this study more than two thousand individuals of Indian origin participated and the aforementioned SNP is highly prevalent in this group.[4]

Internationally, a BMI over 25 kg/m2 is considered overweight. Due to genetic tendency of Indians towards abdominal obesity and its associated risk of related lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, guidelines for diagnosis of obesity and abdominal obesity for India have been published in JAPI (2009) that a BMI over 23 kg/m2 is considered overweight.[5] Further definitions: Normal BMI: 18.0-22.9 kg/m2, Overweight: 23.0-24.9 kg/m2, Obesity: >25 kg/m2.[5]​

 

@Novalis

I happened to hear from Dr Thanikachalam - cardiologist for celebrities- two decades ago patients for heart ailments or heart attack admitted in hospitals used go be in the age ranging from 70 and above. (My mother had one at 72. She survived with implanted Pace maker for over a decade and half. )
2. Dr. T opined with advent of technologies one could go about precision surgeries expertly but old heart was stronger than young hearts at age ranging from 40 and above. He says heart attacks has become common among youngs age ranging 40 and above. Comfortable life could be the cause he opines.
Thanks and regards.
God gives heart but maintenance of pump is not His domain.