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(Values and Visions: Western Culture and Humanity's Future, Address by Richard Eckersley) What do the findings
mean? These factors may well influence young people's perspectives. Nevertheless, their views are understandable and usually valid; some issues are part of their personal experience and all are being discussed and debated by experts and commentators. There is no compelling reason why they should not have these expectations and dreams about the world they will inherit. Indeed, theirs might well be a clearer, fresher view of the future which we would be foolish to ignore. What impact does
this outlook have on young people?
Having concerns about the future is not the same as being fearful; young people may feel as often angry as worried. And expressing concerns is not to suggest they spend a lot of time actively thinking about these issues. Research suggests that the things that get young people down are the more personal aspects of life such as problems with family, peers and friends, school and work. However, this does not necessarily mean the outlook on life and expectations of the future revealed in this and other studies are not having an impact. One researcher has suggested that people's response to concerns of global catastrophes "is not to cry out or ring alarms. It is to go silent , go numb". She suggests this "numbing of the psyche" takes a heavy toll, including an impoverishment of emotional and sensory life. Energy expended in suppressing despair "is diverted from more creative uses, depleting resilience and imagination needed for fresh visions and strategies." Other researchers have warned that this fear of the future among young people could produce cynicism, mistrust, anger, apathy and an approach to life based on instant gratification rather than long-term goals or lasting commitment. Many surveys of
youth attitudes and values, in fact, show these traits are common among
young people today. The surveys show many are: They believe that: (I attach no blame in saying this. I suspect many older Australians share these attitudes and values. My point is that they reflect the failings of our culture; some are probably, at the level of the individual, an adaptive response to modern times.) What do these
views mean for Australia's future? The lack of hope for the future reflects the mistakes of the past, the problems of the present and the challenges of the future. But it also suggests a failure of vision, a failure to conceive a future that is appealing and plausible and able to serve as a focus and a source of inspiration for both individuals and society. Pessimism about the future is likely to affect young people's approach to key aspects of society, including citizenship, education and training and work, jeopardising Australia's future success. Australians can only meet the formidable economic, social and environmental challenges facing them if they have the necessary social cohesion and will to address these issues. A clear vision, strong sense of mission and shared core values become even more important as Australian society becomes more pluralistic, multicultural, open, and fluid (this is also increasingly important at the global level). One result of the discrepancy between young Australians' expected and preferred futures appears to be a tension between realism and idealism in the hearts of young Australians. Their preferred future reflects values and priorities different from those that young people themselves appear to hold, suggesting they are adopting attitudes they believe are demanded by the world they live in and the future they expect - not those needed to achieve the world they want. It is likely that this also holds true for many older Australians. It suggests the 2010 timeframe of this study - one that includes a transition to a new century and millennium and the centenary of Australian Federation - will be marked either by a fundamental re-alignment of national goals and priorities, or by increasing levels of resentment, disenchantment and disengagement. If the issues raised in this study are not addressed, Australia will, at best, perform far below the standard of which it is capable, in every sphere, domestically and internationally. At worst, Australian society could see increasing evidence of social dysfunction, including extremism and unrest. The study suggests that many young Australians already feel they owe little allegiance to society. Many may continue to work within the system, but they no longer believe in it, or are willing to serve it. It might be argued that people have always had visions of an ideal world and these have always been beyond the reach of reality. Key issues today, however, are people's expectations in modern times that things should get better, that humanity should progress, and whether the gap between ideal and real is perceived to be widening or narrowing. The findings of this and other studies indicate the dominant perception is that the gap is widening. The historian, Barbara Tuchman, in her book, A distant mirror - the calamitous 14th century, says that the century has been avoided by historians because it could not be made to fit into a pattern of human progress. It was a violent, tormented, bewildered, suffering and disintegrating age - quite simply, a bad time for humanity. She notes that a gulf had opened up between Christian beliefs and the conduct of the Church, and between the ideal of chivalry and the behaviour of the nobility, and comments: "when the gap between the ideal and real becomes too wide, the system breaks down."
© 1989-1999 to Dr Michael Ellis (Values and Visions: Western Culture and Humanity's Future, Address by Richard Eckersley)
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