In denial

Hearing Fr. David constantly criticize today's youth in his philosophy class frustrated me. I mean, how can this senior citizen make such general claims about my generation, when, in fact, he does not even know the unique challenges brought about by today's technologically advanced world? How can he fully eliminate the complexity of modern-day human relations? But then it dawned on me. It's not so hard to be critical, or even disappointed of the kids of today. All the while, I was not frustrated with Fr. David, I was in denial of the truth.

Only he can pull off the "Eh, sort of like, you know.."

At first, I did not agree with Fr Luis' claim that the influx of various technological thingamajigs-from iPods and iPhones to blackberries and tablets-has 'babyfied' the youth of today. I initially thought about the higher levels of expectations that come with the advancements. I naively believed that the world's complexity has amplified the burden for my generation. It's quite overwhelming, actually, how different devices beep or ring all at the same time, sort of like the evil sister of a philharmonic orchestra.

But hey, maybe it's not the technological takeover's fault. Truth be told, I think it's an individual's responsibility to organize the things that he or she owns. Blaming a missed call or an unfinished paper on a cellphone or a computer or a tablet is just downright pathetic. And no, don't give me the 'I'm only human and it was too much for me to handle' excuse. If you didn't want to be bothered by gadgets too much, why did you even purchase them in the first place? Personal responsibility does not end with hygiene alone.

Speaking of hygiene, it is difficult to ignore the stench coming from most people today. And no, I'm not just talking about my generation here. The irony of people having a wider array of tools of communication while being more robotic in their interpersonal relationship bothers me the most. Nokia no longer connects people. Smart doesn't really allow people to live more. Facebook merely provides another layer of disconnection among 'friends.' Thus, peeps veer away from the Earth and tend to prioritize the illusory acquaintances provided by the Twitterverse. Trust me, I've been and still am guilty of being a rotten, and I use the next term loosely, 'human being.'