Thoughts on Standing Side-By-Side With GenZ
Thought for the Day on BBC Radio Scotland 5/5/2025
There’s a quote sometimes attributed to Socrates about young people, accusing them of “loving luxury, exhibiting bad manners and despising authority.” Whether or not he actually said it, the point is that generations have always found it difficult to understand those who come after them.
BBC News reported yesterday that a quiet drink and a shared packet of crisps is no longer enough to attract a younger generation to the pub. Instead, many Gen Z adults are drawn to quizzes, mini golf and other shared activities. Before I slip into a pseudo‑Socratic complaint about phones and attention spans, though, it’s worth pausing to ask what might really be going on.
This is the Covid pandemic generation: young people who didn’t have the chance to do all the daft things that teenagers get up to and are now facing rising costs, alongside fears about jobs and the impact of AI. Having spent so much time interacting through screens, it’s perhaps no surprise that one report found 59% see eye contact as more intimate than physical touch. So, if you’re spending hard‑earned money on going out, it makes sense to want experiences that feel embodied, intentional and shared.
Understanding generational trends has economic and social benefits — but what about spiritual ones?
The Christian faith has always been lived and learned across generations, through presence, shared practices and shared life. Instead of noticing the differences between my generation and those who come after me, I’m trying to seek out common ground with younger people at work and in my church. Sometimes they ask me what I’ve learned about life, and I’m trying hard to listen to the wisdom of youth. That kind of intergenerational faith is nothing new.
The apostle Paul, writing to a younger disciple, Timothy, said:
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Paul knew how easily younger voices could be ignored, simply because age shapes how people are seen and heard….If sitting opposite someone and making eye contact is too uncomfortable, maybe all generations need to learn how to stand side by side.