29. The Dissonance Of Spiritual Generations
I’m just going to forewarn future readers, this is likely not going to be a nice post. I wanted to take a minute to share my experiences with different generations and spirituality, and how I feel there’s a great dissonance between the millennial and boomer generations of spiritual enthusiasts. And exactly how my experience with intuition unfolded.
Before I begin, there’s a lot of gratitude that I have for the older generation(s). First of all, without them, I wouldn’t be here. And as always, without their work and instruction, there would be little known from past generations and past experiences. Many older people have served as an invaluable guide for me. Not only by educating me, but by supporting me and allowing me to have experiences I would otherwise be too scared to move forward with on my own. A lot of support has come from them, which has been not only a great assistance, but comforting as well.
I also want to clarify that this is not to subjugate an entire generation to this criticism. There have been many people who have broken this mold. However, here’s what I observed. Most older generations, of course, have their own way of doing things. Not only was this molded by their experiences, others’ experiences, and the world’s experiences at large, but on top of that, spiritual information was quite different. I could go on about this for a while, but a lot of spiritual information was “different”. In other words, quality, quantity, and content were different years ago than it is now. Personally, I’ve observed that psychic information was more direct, precise, and predictive. There was little wiggle room, and predictions were absolute. It was almost as if free will didn’t happen or matter at all. Information also seemed direct in a way that was non-negotiable. It was what it was, and that was all there was to it.
Interestingly enough, I don’t really clash with these ideologies. In fact, I admire the ability and support the growth and evolution that spiritual information has gone through. It’s not only been interesting to observe, but incredibly valuable in terms of observing different patterns of spiritual information over time. It provides a “key” to the larger puzzle.
As much as I don’t want to jump to this assumption, it’s clear to me that a lot of older spiritual generations follow not only this method of spiritual information, but also align it to their convictions about spiritual beliefs as well. There’s not a whole lot of “wiggle room” in terms of not only outcomes, but possibilities as well. It seems as though everyone is siloed in their own beliefs. Although the millennial generation may be stubborn and have their own convictions, I find that everyone is a bit more open-minded when it comes to open-ended possibilities. It serves as a more collaborative effort. And although certainly there is gatekeeping in communities, generally, people want to share their abilities and findings with one another. Everyone seems pleased to co-create, which I feel is incredibly vital for not only personal growth, but growth of the spiritual community as well.
I think the largest struggle I encountered was experiences in different points and places in time. Whether or not older generation(s) remember precisely what their experiences were, or perhaps even looked back with rose-colored glasses, it’s clear that their spiritual awakenings were a matter of fact. And just “happened”. There was less pain, discomfort, and suffering overall. Many older generations’ interests in spirituality would simply be described as a “hobby”. Perhaps an extension of their current religion, or more so, a community or social gathering.
My experience was vastly different. It was in a word… traumatic. My experiences were not a hobby. Not a social event. The only ones to describe it as a party would be the characters in Trainspotting. I felt incredibly isolated and alone, as older generations were really the only ones I could reach out to, and their experiences weren’t comparable. As generations continue, it not only seems that their spiritual awakenings and experiences are more intense and dramatic, but they’re completely intertwined with their realities. With not only their feelings, thoughts, and emotions, but their goals and dreams as well. Somehow, it seems that older generations have spirituality compartmentalized as if it’s a little box that can be opened and shut at whim. It’s admirable and bizarre.
As I continued to press forward with my experiences, it became clear that this was going to be a cross to bear. Something which would inevitably overtake my life for better or for worse. And it simply wasn’t relatable. Older generations could not relate. It was out of their element, and I was out of mine. There was no meeting in the middle. I had to create it myself.
Over time, I became increasingly isolated as a young and spiritual person. There was no rule book. People I admired and people I trusted were few and far between. The prominence of my spirituality vs. the prominence of theirs was so incredibly different; I related to younger people more who weren’t even spiritual. Again, bizarre.
As I tried to bring older generations into what I was thinking, experiencing, and feeling, there was disinterest. Aloofness. In general, no resonance. And I felt the effort wasn’t there. Why would it be? This was not their life, but mine. They had no obligation or even interest to amuse me.
I became increasingly frustrated. How could I explain and share my experiences with others? My whole life was flipped upside down, and no one understood. There was certainly no guidebook. The other large part of this issue (or crisis) was that the application was so important. I wasn’t retired, I wasn’t married with kids. I wanted to start my own business and take on the world. No one was at this point in their life. No one understood the plight of a millennial or a young person. No one accessed social media (at least in a remotely purposeful way). No one understood pop culture. There was too much dissonance.
Over time, I attempted to create my own communities with younger people. No sense in complaining about it, right? I had to do something about it. I got increasing pressure and even criticism from those in later generations. That I myself was gatekeeping, and perhaps it was true. But it was what I needed. I didn’t feel it was fair for others to demand treatment that they weren’t interested in putting up for themselves. If they wanted to create a community, they could, right? It seemed that there was no space for me, and unlimited space to appease older generations’ simple interest in spirituality. I had had enough. Even within the communities I created, I had people come and join who were explicitly out of the age bracket. Once they did join (as of course I wouldn’t kick anyone out), they were so out of their element (even with me trying to include them) that they didn’t even want to stay. It was ridiculous. To this day, I still hold some anger and frustration regarding disrespect and disinterest in boundaries.
Others’ preconceived notions became overbearing on my identity and long-term trajectory, even from my own family members. After all, older generations’ pre-conceived notions of psychics were women who sat in storefronts with crystal balls. They were seen as either lepers of society or jokes. Even scam artists. But now look at younger generations. It’s incredible. Integration is so strong. So many believe in tarot cards and astrology. A higher power or something more “important” than just themselves in physical form. It’s brilliant. But perhaps I only think it’s brilliant because it’s my generation.
I guess that about sums up the point. I could sit here forever and complain and talk about the dissonance, but what’s the point? Once this is published, I’ll be freed of frustration. And over time, I’ve accumulated a lot of it from several corners of the earth. Family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, in-person and online. It never ends. I feel others are uneducated, and others feel I am a menace. I think generally, both might be true.
The end of the story is that I need to have respect and gratitude for the generations before me. But that’s not to say they need to have any bearing on what I do moving forward. Time to accept the dissonance or frustrate myself into oblivion. After all, it’s time to teach a newer generation, no?
