Jean Youn: Generation gaps

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Have you ever experienced the effects of generation gaps?

First generation immigrants like me, with children who grow up in America, experience a significant generation gap with their children.

A generation that knows what it’s like to go hungry has a much different experience of life than following generations who have never gone hungry. If you add cultural differences on an already existing large generation gap, it can become very difficult for immigrant parents to see eye to eye with their Americanized children.

I read an article about how the “hungry generation” is turning into the “hangry generation,” and I believe that is very good thing.

Hangry is an acronym for Hi-Tech, Amusement, Naturalism, Green, Realism, and You First.

Though it’s true that the advancing of technology (Hi-Tech) has been beneficial to us throughout the passing generations, however, I believe that the remaining five letters of hangry have made it through thousands of year of human history without any change and have remained important aspects of modern human life.

To illustrate what I mean consider clothing; technology advancement has allowed people to created synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, but natural fabrics like cotton and silk have remained top quality fabrics for thousands of years.

Of all the words or phrases represented by hangry, I think “You First” is the most important. It’s the first step to making the world a better place.

I would like our cleaners to be “the cleaners that thinks of you first.” If I can go about business with that kind of mindset, I wonder if that could help bridge the generation gap between my children and me. I hope that would help me be able to see things from their point of view.

I hope that your week will be filled with a “you first” mentality.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.