Our Generation

Many have passed, and those of us still here are now called "the elderly."

We were born in the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

We grew up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

We learned in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

We came of age in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, discovering love and life.

We ventured into the world in the 80s and 90s.

By the 2000s, we were settling in, adapting, and finding our way.

By the 2010s, we had grown wiser, and now we march boldly into the 2020s and beyond.

We’ve lived through EIGHT decades,

TWO centuries,

and TWO millennia.

From using operators for long-distance calls to making video calls across the world, we’ve seen it all.

From slides to YouTube, vinyl to online music, handwritten letters to emails and WhatsApp.

From listening to live games on the radio to watching them on black-and-white TVs, color TVs, and now HD and 3D screens.

We visited video rental stores, and now we stream everything on Netflix.

We witnessed the birth of computers—punch cards, floppy disks—and now carry gigabytes of data in our pockets on smartphones.

We dressed in childhood shorts, then moved on to trousers, bell-bottoms, mini-skirts, Oxfords, Clarks, Palestinian scarves, jumpsuits, and blue jeans.

We survived childhood illnesses like polio, meningitis, tuberculosis, swine flu, and now, COVID-19.

We went from roller skating and bicycles to mopeds, gasoline engines, and today we drive hybrids and electric cars.

We played marbles, checkers, Monopoly, and now, our grandchildren play Candy Crush on smartphones.

We read voraciously, back when religion wasn’t a topic at school.

We drank tap water, lemonade from glass bottles, and ate fresh, locally grown vegetables, while today meals arrive at our door.

We’ve seen the world evolve, but oh, what a life we've had!

They may call us "ex-ennials"—born into the analog world, maturing into the digital age.

And let’s not forget the Biological Revolution. Back in the 1960s, biology was largely descriptive. Since then, we’ve witnessed the discovery of life’s molecules: DNA, RNA, and more. These discoveries have led to gene therapy, genetic fingerprinting, and so much more. The progress has been staggering.

In a way, we’ve “seen it all.”

Our generation has lived and experienced more change than any other.

We are the generation that adapted to *change*.

So, here’s to us—members of a truly unique and remarkable generation!