Immediate versus delayed gratification

When I was small, new clothes or new toys were only for special occasions, such as the New Year. So whenever my mom or big sister bought us a new dress, it had to be saved until the New Year before we could wear it. We were so excited and anticipation mounted as the time drew near. We were on Cloud Nine when we finally put on our new clothes.

Not so now.

I watch my nephews. Whenever I buy a new T-shirt for them, if they love it, they wear it immediately. They are very much part of a here-and-now generation.

When I was small, senior members in the family often told us to work hard, and said that hard work would earn us future opportunities. I watch the news. Young people nowadays do not really believe that. While in the past we grabbed hold of any job opportunity that came along if we needed a job, the younger generations in Hong Kong will only work if they can find the job they want. I can understand the sentiment. Unfortunately, the right job does not always come along that easily in life.

When we were kids, our parents told us to spend money wisely and keep our savings in the bank. We were often preparing for harder times, because we never knew what was coming next. Nowadays, the banks are pushing for a larger market share in credit-card business among college students. Some college students have acquired the habit of spending over their credit limit, accumulating large credit-card loans even before they graduate.

Some of my students think it is more important to spend money on the latest iPhone model than to buy textbooks. In fact, they can borrow a textbook from our school for the meager sum of HK $50 (US $6.40) a year, but not many do so.

Today, everyone in the world wants immediate gratification. Everything is about me, I, now.

You may think I am unsympathetic to the younger generation. Not so. This is the world we created for them. If we don’t like the way they are behaving, it is likely we are to blame, at least in part.

As a teacher, I am privileged to be able to mix with some really caring and conscientious young people. I know quite a number of them well, as they work for me as student assistants in my projects. Sometimes, when I look at them, I am happy knowing that, despite what we see and hear in the news, we do have a fine younger generation coming along.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.