Youngsters Nowadays...

I’m the self-appointed care taker of the office pool laptop. I do it voluntarily as I can take it home over the weekend to work, on my personal stuff that is.

Last Friday a new staff, let’s call her Newbie (she’s young, just out of college), came to borrow the laptop for a presentation in the afternoon. Newbie was to return the laptop by the end of the day. But she did not. I only came to realize that Newbie was still holding the laptop after office hours and she had left the building. I managed to call her and she informed me she had locked it in her desk and she would return it on Monday morning. No biggie then.

Come Monday morning, I thought Newbie would return the laptop first thing in the morning along with an apology for the late return. Nope! Not happening that way. Another colleague came looking for the laptop and only then I realized the laptop still with Newbie. So we went over to her place to get it. The other colleague picked up the laptop (Newbie did not even hand it to us). She simply blurted out an obligatory I’m-sorry, and back to work. That was it. Not even the slightest tinge of regret or humility in her tone or her demeanor. She was rather matter-of-factly, remorseless and guilt free.

The episode got me thinking a bit. What is happening to our young people nowadays? What happen to their common sense? You borrowed something from me. Shouldn’t return the item on time? More importantly, what happen to their common courtesy? You borrowed something from me and you forgot to return it on time. Shouldn’t you make it up by returning the item to me at the next soonest and available opportunity and be apologetic? These are actually something so very fundamental in any relationship, with anyone and everyone! Is that too much to ask for?

Perhaps it’s bad parenting. Perhaps it’s bad education. Perhaps it’s bad TV. Perhaps it’s the youthful arrogance and invincibility. Perhaps it’s the attitude, as they call it.

Perhaps it’s old age. Perhaps it’s me being the anal old fart. I remember how I used to roll my eyes when the elderly lamented about the young generation being disrespectful and taking things for granted.

Look at who’s bitching about the youngsters now.

Perhaps I need to take a couple of chill pills.