Fathers and Sons

The eternal theme of fathers and sons…

No sooner had I written that autumn marks the return of a busy season of forums, symposia, conferences and academic council meetings than I was invited to take part in the Sixth Russian Congress of Cultural Studies, currently being held at RANEPA’s campus on Prechistenskaya Embankment.

It was wonderful to see my lecturers and classmates in person rather than on a laptop screen. Whatever way you look at it, I am a firm believer in face-to-face communication, although I fully understand all the benefits of working remotely.

Perhaps my view has been shaped by the fact that I belong to Generation X.

There is a reason I have brought up generational theory. Here on LinkedIn, we are constantly reading about the attitudes of Gen Xers, Zoomers and Millennials towards work. At the cultural studies congress, meanwhile, the most discussed presentation was devoted to Generation Alpha. After all, it is this generation that now makes up the majority of university students.

We can complain, groan and even cross ourselves, repeating like a mantra—or a prayer—that things were never like this in our day. But we will not be able to remake the younger generation to fit our standards. If anyone needs to change, it is us. The world works by slightly different rules now: if you want to stay in the game, you have to adapt to those rules. Harsh, but that is the reality. And it applies to absolutely everything—from finding a sense of purpose within a company or understanding the cultural identity of a nation, community or individual to developing long-term strategies or making day-to-day decisions…

I will admit that I was genuinely surprised by how closely issues from completely different fields are intertwined. Taking part in discussions like these offers a completely new perspective on the problems that trouble so many people.