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For my latest teaching video on "In Defense of Gen Z, Millennials" go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LajmPaQ_uSk

I argue that an elite (very privileged) "warrior class" (like the Spartans of ancient Greece) are attempting to "toughen up" and "grow up" the younger generations to make them fit for the way the elite class wants to have their way with the world as a whole. This class is also terrified of losing their grip on power and wealth, success and privilege, and they are attacking youth for being "too interior" (touchy-feely) and thus many are over-therapized. The discussion could also be summarized in the fearanalysis of a class of elites who are "deniers" of many major crises going on in the world and how terrifying that is existentially for youth today. I argue they practice adultism and an authoritarian class imperative to be "the conquerers" (of Empire Consciousness)--and, yes, "conservatives." I offer a non-polarizing but more subtle and important critique to their critiques, and ask that we consider the arguments and reality of what it means to move from a coping culture to a healing culture, a fear-based (culture of fear) to a fearlessness society. 

I ask for dialogue and sanity as the older generations have to learn to listen and talk with each other. The young will benefit greatly from our efforts as the older generations. 

John Coleman, Apocatastasis Institute,

My colleague John Coleman, founder of Apocatastasis: Institute for the Humanities, sent me this troubling but real article on truth of the growing problem of anxiety, fear and mistrust in the entire fabric of higher education these days. Gen Z, the digital-kids, are particularly plagued with (from an extract): 

"We are often right to be careful, cautious, watchful, wary, chary or circumspect. A certain level of cynicism can be healthy. Each of us has been browbeaten, manipulated, stage-managed, swayed and taken advantage of, and no one likes being conned, deceived, duped, hoodwinked, sweet-talked or taken in.

But distrust can also be toxic, fueling anxiety and suspicion. it is all too easy for a healthy skepticism to lapse into paranoia. Indeed, Wilkinson-Ryan’s theme is that “the ‘healthy’ skepticism we inevitably acquire as a result of experiencing fraud and living amongst bad actors may not be healthy at all and that our fear of being a fool causes us to be less generous, less kind and less compassionate than we truly want to be.” As a result, we’re less likely to give our students the benefit of the doubt." 

[for the full article, go to: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/2023/06/02/trust-gap-higher-education

[apocatastasis - is a theological term for restoration of perfection once again]

I have long been interested in the fate of children in our societies and their enmeshment in cultures of fear--that is, being scared to death, being made to feel so fragile, and being unable to find a resiliency to meet the demanding (often oppressive) challenges of the day and their future. The 21st century is not going to likely be a pretty one, not for a long time that is. How can the path of Fearlessness help? How can we on the FM ning help? Let's have more discussion about children here and the nature and role of fear and fearlessness in their lives. 

One cultural critic has a good short summary of some of the issues Gen Z especially is facing... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvrMNDv6iYU

Not that I agree with everything Johnathan Haidt says about society, but he has some good points to consider.