Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology Inter-Generational Conversation We frequently hear opinions about the young generation not understanding the world. We complain about young people looking to have it easy and not putting in an effort. We also experience a lack of communication in general between younger and older. This is not the first time in the history of the world. It has happened for hundreds of years, but this time, the impact is more visible and affecting all of us. The last 2-3 decades have brought a lot of discoveries and inventions that changed. the way we all communicate and live. In medical science, we managed to discover human genome sequencing, which opened paths to discoveries of many new biologic drugs, allowing people to live longer and a healthier life. On another hand, the world, increased population and sought quicker and cheaper ways of producing food, which impacted our environment more than ever. While I am writing this column, I hear the news about wildfires in Canada that heavily impacted the air quality in the East Coast of the US. Whether we like it or not, we became a global environment and global community. Our children and children born after 2000 have been growing up with cell phones in their cribs. Various electronic devices serve as little computerized brains in almost all functions around the house and at the workplace. Children do not meet at the playground anymore; they meet on social media platforms looking at their electronic devices rather than live friends. At the same time, we continue enabling young people to have it all and fast. Everyone I talk to feels his or her children are the best, so they deserve the best. We protect them from any 'no' making everything around them 'yes! To continue the topic, schools provide iPads and computers, but do not teach handwriting and even the simplest brain calculations. Have you seen store workers unable to add a couple of simple numbers without a calculator? I have, frequently. Daily news reading? From Facebook, Civics and history? Boring. And we continue saying 'yes' to all of it, often proud that a 2-year-old knows how to make a phone call or operate a remote control. And then, we have tons of older folks, who do not know how to use a computer, still have landlines and flip phones, do not text and do not email. They subscribe to the old times and keep saying when I was your age.... The good world for them is the world as it was in the '50s. There is no bridge between them to the young ones. And many of us born in the '70s and '80s try to fit in both, old and young, but not quite bridge them. Rather, we try to fit in separately to avoid being strangers to both sides. The bottom line is that our young generation is nothing else but what we make them. If we do not like the outcome, we should blame no one else but ourselves. If we want to change it, we need to take it in our hands and show examples of bridging the concepts. If you see a lot of young faces working at Arlington Dermatology, well, it is our own attempt to bridge the high school students and college students to hard work and ethics in the medical field. We serve as their internship place, their seasonal workplace; we train them in customer service and empathy. We show our older patients, many of them here, that there are young people working hard and actually communicating without cell phones. Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology Inter - Generational Conversation We frequently hear opinions about the young generation not understanding the world . We complain about young people looking to have it easy and not putting in an effort . We also experience a lack of communication in general between younger and older . This is not the first time in the history of the world . It has happened for hundreds of years , but this time , the impact is more visible and affecting all of us . The last 2-3 decades have brought a lot of discoveries and inventions that changed . the way we all communicate and live . In medical science , we managed to discover human genome sequencing , which opened paths to discoveries of many new biologic drugs , allowing people to live longer and a healthier life . On another hand , the world , increased population and sought quicker and cheaper ways of producing food , which impacted our environment more than ever . While I am writing this column , I hear the news about wildfires in Canada that heavily impacted the air quality in the East Coast of the US . Whether we like it or not , we became a global environment and global community . Our children and children born after 2000 have been growing up with cell phones in their cribs . Various electronic devices serve as little computerized brains in almost all functions around the house and at the workplace . Children do not meet at the playground anymore ; they meet on social media platforms looking at their electronic devices rather than live friends . At the same time , we continue enabling young people to have it all and fast . Everyone I talk to feels his or her children are the best , so they deserve the best . We protect them from any ' no ' making everything around them ' yes ! To continue the topic , schools provide iPads and computers , but do not teach handwriting and even the simplest brain calculations . Have you seen store workers unable to add a couple of simple numbers without a calculator ? I have , frequently . Daily news reading ? From Facebook , Civics and history ? Boring . And we continue saying ' yes ' to all of it , often proud that a 2 - year - old knows how to make a phone call or operate a remote control . And then , we have tons of older folks , who do not know how to use a computer , still have landlines and flip phones , do not text and do not email . They subscribe to the old times and keep saying when I was your age .... The good world for them is the world as it was in the ' 50s . There is no bridge between them to the young ones . And many of us born in the ' 70s and ' 80s try to fit in both , old and young , but not quite bridge them . Rather , we try to fit in separately to avoid being strangers to both sides . The bottom line is that our young generation is nothing else but what we make them . If we do not like the outcome , we should blame no one else but ourselves . If we want to change it , we need to take it in our hands and show examples of bridging the concepts . If you see a lot of young faces working at Arlington Dermatology , well , it is our own attempt to bridge the high school students and college students to hard work and ethics in the medical field . We serve as their internship place , their seasonal workplace ; we train them in customer service and empathy . We show our older patients , many of them here , that there are young people working hard and actually communicating without cell phones . Michael Bukhalo , MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows , IL 60008 Tel . 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net