Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling of the United States Army was interviewed recently on the topic of major changes to the training regimen for recruits. The statements made by Hertling intrigue me as I am only a few years older than the generation of recruits the article is discussing.
I’ve quoted some of the statements below but you can find the full article at games.yahoo.com/pluggedin
[Hertiling's] aim is to better prepare them for the potentially grueling physical experience of serving in unfriendly environments. That includes an added emphasis on discipline, which Hertling contends just isn’t what it used to be. “We certainly have a generation that is not as disciplined when they enter the military,” he said, adding that while the new generation has “what they believe is a form of courage or discipline, it’s not what we expect of a soldier in very tense and difficult situations.”
This Lt. General is, I’m sure, very knowledgable about the capabilities of new recruits entering the military and assesing the means by which to best train each new class. So, when he and other officials decide to alter the training regimne for new recruits – I took notice. The military wants to meet these new recruits where they are. This is not the generation that was raised by TV but by the internet, iTunes, and Xbox Live. And, unfortunately, this is probably a generation that more often discovered The Beatles not by listening to the Fab Four’s music but by playing the recent RockBand video game release. *sigh*
To sum up what I feel is Hertling’s basic assessment of the current ”Gamer Generation” let me say he views the current generation of recruits as more intelligent but less tough…and less disciplined.
As a product of Gen X and Gen Y, I apply the Lt. General’s assessment to myself and my friends…and my peers …and coworkers…etc. I think the significance of Hertlin’s words set in for me when I realized he wasn’t talking about some group of kids I am never going to meet -he’s talking about the generation that is currently entering the workforce and will soon be the parents of the next generation. These recruits represent a small portion of MY GENERATION that won’t someday be in the driver’s seat of society but, rather, are now at the wheel.
What do you think of the Lt. General’s statements?
Is this lack of discipline an identifiable mark on my generation in the workplace/classroom/boardroom…etc?
And, do we see these characteristics reflected in the church?
Perhaps we are less disciplined… but perhaps not. When I was younger, I played baseball. I absolutely hated it. Yet for nearly seven years I continued to play because of my parents’ insistence that to abandon the game meant some sort of cop out– a lack of self-discipline. (I had to “finish what I started” or something.) However, as time wore on, we both began to realize that just because I wanted to quit something (whether it be baseball, violin, piano, etc.), it did not indicate a refusal to commit or discipline myself, but rather a desire to find the thing in which I wanted to develop discipline. After a few tries, I landed on a couple of things to devote my time to, the end results being 10 years of experience playing the guitar and a completed 336 page middle grade/YA novel. Not bad for only being 20.
I think that though the scenario mentioned above (dropping one thing for another) can often be interpreted as a lack of self discipline, it actually shows we are gaining the ability to recognize when something isn’t working for us and then adapt to locate something else that does work. We fear being stuck in a rut– something that I personally feel my father’s generation had a nasty propensity to do (getting stuck in ruts, I mean).
That aside, the Lieutenant’s critique of my generation seems directed more at our severe lack of physical fitness rather than our intellectual aptitude. I would have to agree with him there.
My Christian faith compels me to live a disciplined and devoted life. Things like laziness, selfishness, and the like are not unique to any generation; they are qualities of a fallen humanity. For this reason I believe it is important to view the potential– not the lowest common denominator– when judging each crop of young men and women who rise to take the reins of society. And in terms of potential, the Gamer Generation certainly holds the most of any before it.
By: Cameron Nations on March 30, 2010
at 1:51 AM
The word discipline in the Greek means to practice naked…or practice unencumbered. Is this a generation of naked…unencumbered yoot? Maybe…but they are proficient like Scott says with that hand-eye coordination thang. We are called to discipline ourselves (practice naked and unencumbered) for the purpose of godliness…in the areas of (1) speech (2) conduct (3) faith
(4) love (5) purity. I believe this lack of discipline is cross-generational. There is nothing new under the sun (unless it is under THE SON)…and a non disciplined slacker is a slacker if you are young, old, etc. The book of Pro-Verbs (still relevant today)…speaks much of non-disciplined people… who are either flabby in the spiritual, physical, etc.
By: Rodney Boyd on March 29, 2010
at 7:43 PM
We are less disciplined because our society has slowly turned from the days of moral responsibility, parental structure and religious belief. More and more parents are afraid that disciplining their kids will somehow make them violent or one day their children will someday hate them. So, the parents allow them to throw fits, bargain and mostly give into their child’s demands. How is that for structure? It all starts at the top…Godly people will KNOW discipline, because they KNOW the one who is the ultimate judge and the one who disciplines. Next up is the parents. I hate to say it but, as a parent, I’ve seen countless parents appear clueless how to raise their children. This happens for two reasons: their parents didn’t know how to raise them and selfishness. Selfishness because they haven’t put forth the effort to learn how to raise a child, but instead put their own (parents) needs before their child’s. Have these traits existed before our generation? Sure, but our modern society amplifies and spreads every current generation to become more selfish. Question…are there more people chatting about the latest gossip on facebook, people playing with their kids, or reading their bible right this second? How can a generation know discipline if their parents can’t teach them what God’s word teaches us? We can’t blame this all on the parents. We all have freedom of choice. Today’s society chooses to be lazy. Today’s society chooses to be self-centered and not God centered. Today’s society chooses to follow the coolest fad and not use their brains. Mind-numbing stupidity comes to my mind. So, could be blame teachers, too? Its a good question, also. So, in closing, I’m not shocked our generation appears less disciplined because evidence is mounting for generations to come to follow their predecessor’s footsteps…
You can’t be tough and disciplined if you’ve never cared enough to sacrifice anything. That’s why Jesus is the toughest guy around town…
By: Erick Blackwood on March 29, 2010
at 5:30 PM
Erick, I can tell you’ve got a lot of passion toward this topic. I’m glad you’re a man who has a great deal invested in your identity as a parent.
Can you give this soon-to-be father a few more tips?
By: Aaron Shaver on March 29, 2010
at 6:44 PM
Absolutely! Love. That’s all you need. Just be there for your son and bring him up in the ways of the Lord (which you already knew that) and everything else will fall into place. I find it hard to discipline my little one sometimes, but I know its for the good. I’m sure this is what our Heavenly Father feels, as well. Stay rested now…because sleep will become a luxury soon.
Erick
By: Erick Blackwood on March 30, 2010
at 11:06 AM
I’m wondering what he means when he says that this generation isn’t as disciplined. As compared to what? Older generations, I guess?
I guess I wouldn’t completely disagree with his statement but I wouldn’t completely agree with it either. Sure, there are segments of this generation that aren’t disciplined at all but then I look and see plenty of examples of individuals who are extremely disciplined and who use that discipline and creativity and passion to improve the workplace or classroom or whatever.
I think we’re seeing a lot of younger generations realize that they aren’t just the future of the church…they are the church now. It’s really cool to see younger individuals step into leadership positions in the church and have older generations embrace their new ideas and creativity.
Maybe I’m just an optimist, but I just tend to believe a lot in this generation. I tend to fall more on the positive side of it than the negative.
By: Andy Whisenant on March 29, 2010
at 4:24 PM
I was raised on video-games. I agree that they can certainly help one’s knowledge-base and problem-solving skills, and perhaps even sense of determination. But anyone who played video-games as much as I did *clearly* had issues with self-disclipline. Video-games are subtly yet severely addictive, and the games themselves reward this behavior and addiction – this lack of discipline.
But one thing scripture heavily emphasizes is discipline. My life now has a structure and is driven by a self-will which I previously did not have nor cared to have, and I attribute this primarily to following the Bible. And I have yet to see any effective, “not-dead” congregation which did not emphasize discipline in all aspects of scripture: from tithing to prayer to living in moderation.
Yes, many in my generation (and even more in the generations which come after mine) suffer from a lack of discipline (though perhaps, hopefully, offset by other virtues). But the church, if grounded in scripture and reason, is more often the answer to this problem than a proponent or result of it. And who knows? Perhaps this scripture-taught discipline will put firm believers in an advantageous situation in the workforce and military in the near future.
By: Matt Davis on March 29, 2010
at 3:58 PM
Wow. I really appreciate you comments, Matt. However, I think your very comments show that you buck the generational norm.
Well done.
By: Aaron Shaver on March 29, 2010
at 5:43 PM
It makes sense. I’ve read that gamer’s IQs are higher than non-gamers and our generation has been playing games since we were babies. We’ve learned to think spacially and excel in hand eye coordination. But we are softer, over weight and less disciplined.
By: Scott Asher on March 29, 2010
at 12:58 PM
Honestly, I agree with most of you comments. You especially hit it on the head with our upbringing of video games positively affecting hand-eye coordination.
But as a generation are we less disciplined? Tell me where you see that?
Maybe we generally are…and I just don’t want to admit it.
By: Aaron Shaver on March 29, 2010
at 1:54 PM