Are we any wiser than our forefathers?

Years ago while studying in Class 9, we were asked to write for a debate on the topic, ‘Are we wiser than our forefathers?’ I can’t recall whether I wrote in favour or against the motion but if the debate has to be written now, I’m sure my generation has not been wiser than our forefathers or is wiser than the new generation. We were taken to task by our forefathers who knew how to get the best out of us by not sparing the rod, and the result is there for all to see.

Coming to the new generation, I’m appalled at the wisdom of tiny-tots today. The other day, I went to Gurugram to visit relatives who had recently shifted from Mumbai and lost a family member soon after. The five-year-old child in the family spoke to his mother in an unflinching English accent and said, “Why is she here? If visitors come, they should just visit and go away!” I was surprised at the way he presented his thoughts and that too in such an articulate manner. This child, when I met him three years earlier, was able to recite the poem ‘Johny, Johny, Yes Papa’ in English, Hindi and Marathi.

My twin grandchildren, who are yet to turn three years old, baffle me with their talk. “I was eating all the food in momma’s tummy and not allowing my twin sister to eat,” says one of them, explaining why her sister is a poor eater. The other day she alerted me that her twin sister had put a rubber in the water bottle. “Check it fast, otherwise it will choke grandpa!”

When she gets angry at her father for reprimanding her, she comes complaining to me, “Your son is scolding me.” “No, I think your papa is scolding you,” I say to correct her. But she insists that her papa is sweet and loves her and it is my son who is scolding her. I give up.

I know that children are like sponge, passively absorbing things around them. But once upon a time, we were children too; then why were we not as smart as the present generation is? You can’t say, just kidding, because you can’t fool the kids of the present generation. Yes, it may be partly due to environmental exposure such as the television and mobiles, which were not available to us.

I think we have a designer set of generation growing up. Children are getting more and more intelligent. Is nature editing their genes so that only the fittest survive? There are so many child prodigies we hear of these days. They know to hack passwords; they can calculate large numbers faster than calculators and remember tough lessons.

I’ve concluded that we are definitely not wiser than our forefathers and not wiser than our grandchildren either.

MY GRANDDAUGHTER INSISTS THAT HER PAPA IS SWEET AND LOVES HER AND IT IS MY SON WHO IS SCOLDING HER. I GIVE UP