Lately it must have been popular to discuss the issues facing the new generation. After writing The Lucky Older Generation, I have come across at least a couple of articles on Chinese blog sites, talking about how the older generation come to regard that the new generation is not as successful as theirs. (If you can read Chinese, feel free to venture into the suggested articles at the foot of this page.) I’ve been itching for too long before I decided to put my thoughts down in this sequel.
The prejudice of the older generation most likely stems from the level of attainment and success of the current society. Now everyone is ever demanding more and better, either as individuals or as the society. However, it also requires more, and something different, to achieve the next level of success.
To use a familiar example of sporting contests, we are always anticipating new records to be made, and to the winner of the contest, a new record adds an extra meaning to the lustrous gold medal. As we would expect, the winner would most likely not just settle for this victory, but strive for an even better result. The competitors will, thus, not only have to beat this winner, but also aim at breaking the new record. This is why sporting contests drive competitive spirits as well as improvements.
The wider world is just a more complicated version of sporting contests. While there is a clear, defined target in sports, competition in the real world has added levels of difficulty. Firstly, the leader will strive to maintain and improve his/her position and advantage, just like the gold medallist in sports. Then, there are the establishment, the beneficiaries of the status quo, the conservative forces etc. that will create extra hurdles on the way of catching up with the leader. These extra obstacles will create resistance or even disorientation that will keep the competitors or new comers further behind the leader. It often appears that, the more mature a particular field or society is, the more difficult it is to overcome the obstacles.
Scientific research is one area where one can particularly feel that the requirement for a significant achievement is only becoming tougher. What were once considered avant-garde or ground-breaking are now often so run-of-the-mill that everyone can do it. Successful publication of research findings or grant application will now demand more quantity and quality. In my field of structural biology (which entails studying the structure of molecules relevant to biology, for a better understanding of their function), one popular saying is that ‘the low-hanging fruit has been picked’, meaning that what is left behind is becoming harder to reach. New technologies and ways of thought are clearly needed to push the frontiers of research.
Breakthrough for the new younger generation, on a personal level, will only be achieved with greater efforts to clear the higher hurdles of the modern society, or with a will to explore new fields. Similarly, societies that fail to tap into the potential of innovative or leading-edge industries (e.g. arts, technology) will find themselves going nowhere and producing a very frustrated younger generation.
不知是否潮流興這個話題（也許多得陳冠中！）寫完幸福的上一代後，接連看到有些網中人也談到上一代人對新一代的負面觀感，認定一代不如一代（詳見頁底之參考文章），我也心癢難止，趕緊寫這篇續集。
上一代覺得新一代沒出息，很大程度上跟整個社會進步後，無論個人或整體對成功的要求提高了，可是要成功，要付出比以前更大的努力，又或要用不同的途徑。 用個大家都熟悉的例子吧。大家觀看運動競賽時，最期待的往往是打破紀錄的一刻，對冠軍健兒來說，那面金牌也因此增添另一重意義，不過那個運動員相信不會因此而安於現狀，反而會更努力提升自己的水準，而其他對手的目標，不祇是要打敗他，更要再把那個紀錄刷新：這正是運動競賽帶來的競爭和進步。
現實社會也可嘗不是如此，祇不過要出人頭地，比體育要複雜，起碼體育祇有一個明確目標要克服，但這個社會，除了優勝者會竭力保持及鞏固優勢外，還有重重關卡，包括建制中人、既得利益者、保守勢力等，為你追逐目標時製造阻力，乃至阻礙視野，這種障礙，似乎在發展成熟的範疇或社會更為顯著。
做研究的最能感受到成功門檻愈來愈高的現實，從前視為尖端、突破性的技術或發現，今時今日可能已是家常便飯；發表文獻或申請研究撥款，要求祇有增無減。在我結構生物學（Structural biology，即研究與生物學有關的份子結構，以更深入了解其功能）的圈子裡，有個流行的說法，乃「掛得低的果實早已摘去了」，意即容易入手的課題早已做完，剩下祇有複雜的，要花上更先進的科技及全新的思維解決。
要尋求突破，大家要麼得付出更多努力，衝破越來越多的現成制限，要麼便得尋找新門路發展，而不重視創新或尖端行業（例如藝術發展、科技）的社會，不但會停滯不前，也會製造沮喪的新一代。
參考閱讀：Gideon Tsang 各行各業 III、人在中環 我地呢一代，冇你地諗得咁差 !
The prejudice of the older generation most likely stems from the level of attainment and success of the current society. Now everyone is ever demanding more and better, either as individuals or as the society. However, it also requires more, and something different, to achieve the next level of success.
To use a familiar example of sporting contests, we are always anticipating new records to be made, and to the winner of the contest, a new record adds an extra meaning to the lustrous gold medal. As we would expect, the winner would most likely not just settle for this victory, but strive for an even better result. The competitors will, thus, not only have to beat this winner, but also aim at breaking the new record. This is why sporting contests drive competitive spirits as well as improvements.
The wider world is just a more complicated version of sporting contests. While there is a clear, defined target in sports, competition in the real world has added levels of difficulty. Firstly, the leader will strive to maintain and improve his/her position and advantage, just like the gold medallist in sports. Then, there are the establishment, the beneficiaries of the status quo, the conservative forces etc. that will create extra hurdles on the way of catching up with the leader. These extra obstacles will create resistance or even disorientation that will keep the competitors or new comers further behind the leader. It often appears that, the more mature a particular field or society is, the more difficult it is to overcome the obstacles.
Scientific research is one area where one can particularly feel that the requirement for a significant achievement is only becoming tougher. What were once considered avant-garde or ground-breaking are now often so run-of-the-mill that everyone can do it. Successful publication of research findings or grant application will now demand more quantity and quality. In my field of structural biology (which entails studying the structure of molecules relevant to biology, for a better understanding of their function), one popular saying is that ‘the low-hanging fruit has been picked’, meaning that what is left behind is becoming harder to reach. New technologies and ways of thought are clearly needed to push the frontiers of research.
Breakthrough for the new younger generation, on a personal level, will only be achieved with greater efforts to clear the higher hurdles of the modern society, or with a will to explore new fields. Similarly, societies that fail to tap into the potential of innovative or leading-edge industries (e.g. arts, technology) will find themselves going nowhere and producing a very frustrated younger generation.
不知是否潮流興這個話題（也許多得陳冠中！）寫完幸福的上一代後，接連看到有些網中人也談到上一代人對新一代的負面觀感，認定一代不如一代（詳見頁底之參考文章），我也心癢難止，趕緊寫這篇續集。
上一代覺得新一代沒出息，很大程度上跟整個社會進步後，無論個人或整體對成功的要求提高了，可是要成功，要付出比以前更大的努力，又或要用不同的途徑。 用個大家都熟悉的例子吧。大家觀看運動競賽時，最期待的往往是打破紀錄的一刻，對冠軍健兒來說，那面金牌也因此增添另一重意義，不過那個運動員相信不會因此而安於現狀，反而會更努力提升自己的水準，而其他對手的目標，不祇是要打敗他，更要再把那個紀錄刷新：這正是運動競賽帶來的競爭和進步。
現實社會也可嘗不是如此，祇不過要出人頭地，比體育要複雜，起碼體育祇有一個明確目標要克服，但這個社會，除了優勝者會竭力保持及鞏固優勢外，還有重重關卡，包括建制中人、既得利益者、保守勢力等，為你追逐目標時製造阻力，乃至阻礙視野，這種障礙，似乎在發展成熟的範疇或社會更為顯著。
做研究的最能感受到成功門檻愈來愈高的現實，從前視為尖端、突破性的技術或發現，今時今日可能已是家常便飯；發表文獻或申請研究撥款，要求祇有增無減。在我結構生物學（Structural biology，即研究與生物學有關的份子結構，以更深入了解其功能）的圈子裡，有個流行的說法，乃「掛得低的果實早已摘去了」，意即容易入手的課題早已做完，剩下祇有複雜的，要花上更先進的科技及全新的思維解決。
要尋求突破，大家要麼得付出更多努力，衝破越來越多的現成制限，要麼便得尋找新門路發展，而不重視創新或尖端行業（例如藝術發展、科技）的社會，不但會停滯不前，也會製造沮喪的新一代。
參考閱讀：Gideon Tsang 各行各業 III、人在中環 我地呢一代，冇你地諗得咁差 !
Comments
啊，所言甚是！
但小弟又不明白為何現在的年輕一輩比我們那一代學的多很多...