What's inspiring to kids these days?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m watching the last bit of “For All Mankind”, which is a documentary of sorts on the Apollo missions to the moon. It’s brought back all the boyish enthusiasm and wonder that I experienced from about 4 years old up through about 17, when I realized my eyes and knee wouldn’t let me be a pilot, and therefore an astronaut.

That was inspiration and driving force behind me as a kid- I wanted to be an astronaut, so I made good grades, tried hard, etc… Even the Challenger accident didn’t really discourage me when I was in 7th grade; I knew that it was risky even then.

I imagine that it was similar for other children in times past- in the 1920’s, you wanted to be a pilot, I suspect, in the 1950’s you wanted to be like Chuck Yeager, in the 1960’s, like the Mercury & Gemini astronauts, and in the 1970’s (my childhood) you wanted to be like the Apollo astronauts or maybe a Shuttle astronaut when it launched. Before all that, you might have wanted to be an explorer or a sea captain or something like that.

What’s today’s equivalent? I suspect that NASA has lost a lot of its luster, now with the somewhat routine nature of shuttle flights, and the apparent total wimp-out after the Columbia accident.

I can’t think of anything that really has the power or grandeur to inspire kids like NASA did when I was younger- I can’t think of any real stars to shoot for that have the ability to captivate a 5 year old, yet still be a real accomplishment for adults.

Is there anything and I’m just missing it? I just have this feeling that the world’s turned inward to some degree, and doesn’t have the same exploratory desire and feeling of limitless possibility that I get the impression that earlier times may have had.

2

Money is the inspiration, first of all kids today are more realistic, they realize they aren’t going to grow up to be president, you have to have money and connections to do that and that isn’t going to happen.

They also realize that a college education isn’t the fast track to a buck.

Fame is the product of a quick trip on American Idol (even if you don’t win) or a website that Google buys out for tens of millions.

People are less willing to do anything to achieve things. Can you imagine anyone doing a sit in today. People get on the Internet type an uninformed opinion no one will ever read and think that is they same as a protest. We encourage this but it’s not the same. Staring down cops and getting shot at with firehoses hardly inspires the same courage as a quick opinion jotted down on a Google blog.

Part of it is our change of economy. We now have things. Back in the 70s, you could get a bike ($200) and a TV (B&W - $150) and then that was about it. Perhaps if you could wangle a decent job (remember McDonalds were jobs held by people not teens) you could get a car.

But after a car, TV and bike that was it for things. So you had to concentrate on ideas. But now even if a kid gets a computer or a phone it’ll be updated and outdated in a few years so you have to save up money to buy things again.

The cell phone has enslaved us. Do you know people actually believe they need those things. I am constantly amazed at the way people will call each other in the span of 30 minutes, four or five times just to check in. Why?

Cell phones are nothing but ways to kill time. Imagine if I held a gun to your head, you wouldn’t say “Gee I wish I made more money.” You’d ssy “Gee I wish I had more time to do things I haven’t yet done.” Yet we waste time and delude ourselves into thinking cell phones, which waste time are good.

How are we going to use our minds when we’re killing time on a phone chatting about nothign repeatedly.

Today we’re too busy working for our toys, deluding ourselves we can’t live without them and buying into sales pitches by advertising that is now in your face.

Even the few medical researchers I’ve worked with don’t want to be Jonas Salk to cure anything but see a cure for AIDS as a fast track to money.

Why is this? Simply our economy changed, from a product to service economy. And you can’t measure service except in terms of money.

So what inspires people? Money. That is pretty much it, it still kicks back to the dollar.

3

I think this is more suited for IMHO than GQ.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

4

Aw, come on. Kids still want to be astronauts, and President. And magicians, and firefighters, and racecar drivers.

5

I wanted to be a fighter pilot too. However, my 5 year old daughter wants to either:

  1. Bring the dinosaurs back to life - unlikely but it could happen through weird DNA research. It was supposedly impossible to clone mammals until I was a senior in college. Now it is almost routine.

  2. Be like Spongebob Squarepants.

There you have it.

6

Since he was seven, my son has wanted to be, and I quote, “An architect who designs homes for the homeless using recycled materials to help the environment.” At 15, he thinks maybe designing healing centers and hospitals (also using reclaimed and recycled materials) might be even better.

He’s not the only one to think of it, of course, but he had no idea at the time that anyone else was doing it. I find that pretty inspiring myself.

7

My 5 yr old want to be a fighter pilot so he can fly the F-35 when it replaces the F-18 in the Canadian air force.

Did I mention he’s really into planes?

My 13yr old goddaughter wants to be a vet so bad she went from barely passing grades in math & science in grade 6 to top of her class in grade 7, and studies animal anatomy and medicine books in her spare time. She knows it’s harder to get in to vet school than into med school and is starting early.