Jazz and Pop are two main categories in the music industry. However, the two genres feel very different and do not go together very well. Similarly, people often have conflicts because of age differences that we consider to be generational gaps. Are generational gaps serious problem? If so, why? What are the causes of this tension and how can we solve it?

I live in a family with few rules and lots of freedom. This liberty made me feel that we aren’t as affected by a generation gap at home compared to school. Although I was very free to do what I want, I still felt generational gap sometimes in my home. They showed themselves when we were met by our family’s biggest chore: choosing what TV show to watch together. Personally, I prefer watching sitcoms such as ‘Friends’ or ‘How I Met Your Mother’ but my parents did not find them funny. Instead, my mom wanted to watch talk shows about women in their 40s while my dad likes to watch the news or reality shows with men in their 50s. As we can see, generational gaps are caused by growing up in the different eras and the dominant culture at that time. When different cultures collide, they becomes like oil and water which often cause problems.

So, how can we solve this problem? I don’t think we can demolish the generational gaps completely, because people have lived with their experiences and culture since they were born. However, I believe it is possible to reduce the generational gap by changing and learning from our past negative experiences. For example, most daughters-in-law these days want to have a more open relationship with their mothers-in-law. However, if some mothers-in-law are harsh and mean as the traditional mothers-in-law used to be, the generational gap will get bigger because very old traditions meet new ones. Instead, if mothers-in-law change by combining new cultural tendencies and a little of the old cultural ways the generation gap will get shrink. Although mothers-in-law try to adapt, but if the daughters-in-law don’t do anything and only accept their personal cultural values, mothers-in-law will be angry because the daughters-in-law don’t try anything. My point here is that a person should try change because of their bad experience of the generational gaps and the other person has to feel that person is trying hard and change for that person. Being generous to each other is the key way to make the wall of the generational gaps much thinner.

Generational gaps have existed and will exist forever. It would be okay when there is no problem but there are lots of problems that are happening and even make disorder families. As the time goes by the generational gap is getting thicker and misunderstanding will be more intense. I think this is the time we finally have to deal with this problem like we treat other important problems.