HARDWORK! ISN'T WORKING FOR THIS GENERATION
The Question of Hard Work for Generation X
Of Generation X and their "why," there is always no answer to their questions. Let alone seeking solutions to their unending problems, they will always question but still have a reason to do and not to do something. Well, they are literate natives, and what's the use of a to-do list? To address their problems, they'll look for tech-savvy methods and innovative measures and a creative generation with everything at their disposal. Yes! Everything is at their disposal, but what is "hard work" disposed of? Is hard work working for this generation? Or did its definition lose its meaning?
?I was born and raised close to the onset of a new millennium. The former and the latter happened in this new era that has seen growth and shifts across all aspects that give life its shape. Hard work! These times, these days, and now is still the spring of gospel we drink from in the shadows of a bleak future as we strive to excel. Do we excel or only strive to thrive in "come what may!"
You would go to school, more so primary school, and all you were taught to learn was that life is all about "working hard" and nothing else. Literally if I am to Trans-alliterate than translate then "hardwork" is hard to define. What does it mean to you to employ "hard work"? I demand to know the logic behind the coining of this term, but it doesn't count, so let me stick to my story.
As an individual, I have lived to this slogan hoping that it would work for me. Can I really tell of how best it has worked for me? It has in other aspects and in the best ways possible; for my generation, it has done – nothing much. In class, more so in math lessons, the teacher would reiterate the same words – work hard! We all paid heed to it, let alone the fact that they were strict disciplinarians and holders of the rod that wouldn't be spared. For that reason, some of us were scared to love the subjects whose teachers were cruel, and some of us were scared to despise the teacher and their knowledge, but was this meant to articulate what the definition of hard work meant to us? Or were we kids who were just scared to work their way up the academic ladder? Though biased, it (hard work) worked for some of us.
My uncle once said," Hard work doesn't kill." Even if it would not kill you literally, it would let your spirit perish- ask me! You might be strong, but you must be tired, and then you are hit by the reality that you have to work hard. In comparison, my uncle and I studied in different eras and unique curriculums that are now being phased out; having that CBC (competency-based curriculum) is now here despite the complaints. Let's wait and see to it.
Speaking of strong and tired in the previous paragraph, does this translate to people with energy and potential but no motivation? I know of a generation, and it is this one that has everything at their disposal and a vast array of opportunities, but what would they do? How hard would they work with these resources at their disposal?
The New Definition of Hard Work in a Technological Era
They are to do nothing but to work hard with all that spoil, potential, energy and the power and the will to explore by trying out new ideas. In this day and age that we have lived off the internet, social media, and technological inventions where smartphones have reigned supreme to make life easy and services accessible. A generation of soft life that you still expect to work hard when kids are now joining the list of young innovators and entrepreneurs as trendsetters in the economic space. Recently, I heard of the world's youngest professor being under 18.
Who teaches who? It is the internet versus the intellect for us, where every knowledge and opinion is rampant on the internet. Your intellect decides what to do with it, even on the margins of hard work and its dynamics. A whole lot of people with diverse schools of thought are on the internet, and their numerous hashtags would spark a revolution that would see a paradigm shift in the change of mindset. The same slogans that set the foundation probably wouldn't put the roof –why? You cement the knowledge at the foundation, while the roof demands hitting the nail of wisdom on the head.
We might lose a generation. If we don't give the space for free thinking and a place that provides room for exploration, how will we solve the problems of our age because time has changed? It has surely indeed. Having the inevitability of change cuts across even our mindsets. Now, I see a whole new generation chatting their way up to success with their own definition of slogans in their own words best known to themselves.
Education and The Diluted Essence of Hard Work
As a parent, what advice or diction do you use towards your kids? 2021, not just the year but also the economic times cuddled up in a pandemic; what words do you think would make meaning to your child? The odds maybe against you as a parent or them to believe in themselves but in their best words they may churn out success. What comes to your mind when you tell your kid – to work hard (that usually happens in the hallowed corridors of academia, mostly from one admission or when joining campus)? I might not be able to draw much what might be at the back of a parent's mind when such bold words that have been held strongly for years are uttered.
Your network is your net worth. That phrase makes much meaning even more in this day and age of entrepreneurship and internet (also social media). Dear parents, however strongly spoken and boldly engraved, your words are in your kid's heart; just know there are other deep, inspirational, and motivational springs of gospel your child drinks from. The gospel is even more diverse in campus where students own phones and bundles are even cheaper.
The Shift from Hard to Smart Work in Modern Generations
It's the smart generation. We no longer say, "You are bright, clever, or hardworking." The clock has changed and the tide has turned. Whether you are the chap at the top of the class, whether you have the latest innovative idea or are doing well in business, we are economical with words, and so you are all branded "smart." You got the point! So everyone is torn between what to believe;" do you want to work smart or work hard?"
The Influence of Technology and Social Media on Work Ethic
Whoever said "if you want to hide something from Kenyans, put it in a book" never specified whether it was hard or soft copy. Anyways, the readership levels of this generation are diminishing. Let alone reading, they (this generation) no longer watch the news or TV anymore; they feed information from the internet and all other latest gadgets that have grabbed the place of the TV set. If only Kenyans don't read much, then the statement must have been biased. I feel for an entire generation that is much more delighted with technology than getting enlightened by it because readers have proven to be leaders. It's the bookish generation of fully stocked shelves and full folders of soft copy material that won't just read. If hard work is done through reading books, you are mistaken; this generation will study to get papers for careers they don't want to pursue.
Redefining Success in the Age of Internet and Innovation
Most of the success stories of my generation aren't defined by all the stuff you read in books and papers; it's all summed up in a broadcast form. When Isaac Newton's invention and discovery seem successful to you, this generation would talk of billionaires going to visit space. When Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone saw the basis of communication and the great shift in human lifestyle called the action to success, my generation won't see him as a contributor to this whole smartphone life; instead, they'll parade Steve Jobs of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Bill Gates of Microsoft, together with the career biographies of their humble beginnings. A kid will challenge you by saying, "By joining wires and developing soft wares across gadgets, you call that "hard work," isn't that just working smart with technology?"
Let's look at the local examples that have become continental icons and have received global acclaim. Oscar-award-winning actress and daughter of the soil Lupita Nyong'o: In her words, "dreams are valid." Those sentiments make much meaning to a generation eager and passionate to validate their dreams and actualize their ambitions.
Even in times of loss, winners are born. In 2020 , during the long lockdown, we saw the rise and emergence of budding stars. Bearing that global learning was disrupted, everyone was home; when most parents would echo, "Work hard and focus on your books, "other kids found time to realize their potential and try out new ideas. Ironically, the same kid who would also wish to realize their potential but is told to focus on their books becomes the ready audience to the one having space and time to discover their talent.
Elsa Majimbo, a Kenyan student whose studies were interrupted by the pandemic, decides to try out a new hobby in a comic form that her very own Kenyan netizens didn't recognize as comedy. All of a sudden, she rides through the ladders of success with a breakthrough that even gains the attention of global R&B sensation Rihanna. Is it luck or just an example of working smart? Ask the generation!
These days, it's easier to learn from celebrities and what's trending. When a kid is worried about all the "work hard," reading books, and studying till you get a Ph.D. and still hears of celebrities sensationalized as influencers and even more—superstars for being content creators, actors, musicians, innovators, entrepreneurs, and even leaders, all this kid wonders is why she wouldn't also sing her way to success when afforded the space and time.
Everything said and done, working smart isn't so new an idea as it is a modernized version of working hard to meet and fit in the confines of a generation's dynamics of operation—so–called street smart. So, hard work isn't working for this generation; all they want is to work smart.
By Isaac Oketch
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