[Carruthers]

If I could continue the drift...

I have little experience of generations after mine as I have no close relations and never had children of my own. However, when I was at work it was noticeable that neither the work experience kids, nor those taken on as full time employees, had any sense of where they stood in the great scheme of things.

They knew nothing of recent history and they were so ignorant of even local geography I'm surprised that most of them ever managed to find their own way in on a morning. None seemed to have much idea about things that affected them profoundly and few had any idea at all about which party formed the government.

Whilst most of them could be relied upon to do as they were told when given a particular task, not one seemed capable of using his or her initiative. They all seemed to exist in a bubble in which they were spoon fed by life.

I know that I probably sound like Methuselah, but the contrast between what I was expected to know and understand on leaving school, and the level of perception shown by the current batch of school leavers, is so marked as to be frightening.

What worries me is that should I live long enough to take up residence in some care home or other, the lad advancing towards me with the syringe will probably be the kid I saw today who couldn't tie his own shoe laces.

I think I might have just fallen down the generation gap...