I’ve been sitting with this question lately: Do people still truly care about values, or have we shifted to just caring about outcomes and optics?
It’s hard to say. On one hand, younger generations are impressively aware, emotionally articulate, and mature in ways many of us weren’t at their age. They speak about mental health, fairness, inclusivity—all things that matter deeply. But on the other hand, they’re growing up in a system that runs fast. Faster than ever. Where “better” often just means more, sooner, louder. Where the pressure to win, achieve, and be visible has replaced the quiet strength of inner grounding.
And here’s the thing: wisdom isn’t something you can download. It isn’t earned by reading a quote or listening to a podcast. It’s built, painfully and beautifully, through lived experience—especially the ones that break you open and make you grow. That’s the edge we older generations have. We’ve messed up, learned, adapted, and gained a kind of clarity that only time can offer. And that process—of stumbling and getting back up—is where values are tested, shaped, and internalized.
I’m not saying the next generation lacks values. But I do wonder: in this hyper-competitive, performance-driven culture we’ve passed down, are we still teaching why values matter? Or just how to get ahead? When the end becomes everything, we start forgetting the meaning of what lies in-between—kindness, humility, integrity. The stuff that doesn’t always show up on resumes but defines the kind of human you are.
Maybe that’s what we need to rethink: not just who we vote for or which side we’re on, but who we are at our core. Emotional intelligence—not just as a workplace buzzword—but as a compass for how we live, relate, and lead. Because in a world that’s increasingly loud and fast, the quiet work of being decent, present, and human might be the most radical thing we can do.
I don’t have a neat conclusion here. Just a bunch of open-ended thoughts. But maybe that’s the point—we need to start thinking out loud again. Not to be right, but to be real.
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