{
  "id": 19793195,
  "title": "The generation gap is real, but it need not be a divide — Mohd Fudzail Mohd Nor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/the-generation-gap-is-real-but-it-need-not-be-a-divide-mohd-fudzail",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-13T10:21:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2026/11/13/the-generation-gap-is-real-but-it-need-not-be-a-divide-mohd-fudzail-mohd-nor/243140"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "November 13 - For every generation, it is common to believe the next one has it easier, while the previous generation appears to lack understanding. Malaysian older citizens often complain that the younger generation is too delicate, impatient, and overly dependent on their devices. Conversely, younger Malaysians often dismiss older people as \"boomers\" who lecture about hard work while owning homes they bought decades ago. Both of these exaggerated views are, at their core, unfair. The author, Mohd Fudzail Mohd Nor, is 62 years old and a senior citizen with a disability. He has witnessed the world change multiple times and believes that the so-called generation gap is more about differing circumstances than inherent differences.\n\nNor grew up in Kuala Rompin, Pahang, where he learned Jawi from his late father and read Utusan Melayu in Jawi script from a young age. After completing an intensive English course at ITM, he was sent to New Zealand to study at the University of Waikato and followed the 1984 general election closely. His first job was in information technology at TV3, where he later wrote a newspaper column titled \"Sebuah Komputer Setiap Rumah,\" advocating for every Malaysian home to have a computer in the early 1990s, when many Malaysian homes still lacked one.\n\nNor's point is not to boast but to highlight that his generation was not more virtuous than today's young people. Instead, they were simply luckier in certain aspects. Young Malaysians today face a broken sequence of life events, as the sequence of coming of age, obtaining a stable job, marriage, and owning a home no longer follows a predictable path. The generational gap is unlikely to disappear and may even need to be maintained, as each generation must address the questions of its own time. However, a gap is not the same as a divide. A gap can be bridged through curiosity, active listening, and shared purpose, while a divide is created when we cease attempting to connect.\n\nNumerically, Malaysia recorded 396,175 live births in 2025, with the total fertility rate falling to 1.5 children per woman. The housing market has become increasingly unaffordable, with home prices growing at more than double the rate of median household income. Young people often delay marriage, postpone having children, or rent indefinitely, which my generation may label as selfishness; however, it is more often a matter of arithmetic. Meanwhile, the country is aging, with about 4.2 million Malaysians now aged 60 and above, and the nation expected to become an aged society by 2036. My generation will require more care, healthcare services, and patience from the younger generation, just as the young struggle to establish their own lives.\n\nFor older Malaysians, there are three key lessons to learn from the younger generation: humility about technology, respect for their values, and perspective. Younger Malaysians did not invent smartphones to annoy older people; rather, they created tools that have significantly improved the lives of older citizens, such as ride-hailing apps and social media platforms. Older Malaysians who resist learning new technologies should remember that it was their generation that initially encouraged their elders to embrace computers. Secondly, older Malaysians should respect the values of younger people, even when they differ. Many young Malaysians prioritize mental health, work-life balance, the environment, and fairness, which are not signs of weakness but rather evidence of a generation that has witnessed their parents sacrificing health and family for careers that did not always reward them. Lastly, older Malaysians should adopt a perspective, recognizing that difficult periods pass, institutions can be reformed, and patience is not synonymous with passivity.\n\nConversely, the younger generation can learn from the older generation by developing perspective. Nor's generation lived through recessions, political upheavals, and the gradual building of a nation, understanding that difficult periods pass, institutions can be reformed, and patience is not passive. Additionally, Nor's generation carries memories of kampung life, languages, and scripts that are vanishing, as well as the strong sense of community that existed before welfare agencies emerged. When an older person passes away, a library of lived experience is lost.\n\nBridging the generation gap demands more than goodwill; it requires deliberate design. Senior activity centers could invite university students to teach digital skills, while seniors could mentor younger individuals in various crafts, languages, local history, and career experiences. Housing policies could encourage multigenerational living instead of penalizing it. Workplaces could implement reverse mentoring, allowing older and younger employees to learn from one another. Schools could record oral histories from grandparents before those stories are lost. Ultimately, families must engage in honest conversations about aging, age-related care, and the evolving roles of different generations.\n\nIn conclusion, the generation gap will never vanish and may even need to persist, as each generation must address its unique concerns. However, a gap can be transformed into a bridge when both sides approach the situation with curiosity, active listening, and shared purpose. By fostering mutual respect and understanding, older and younger Malaysians can collaboratively navigate the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly aging and increasingly diverse Malaysia.",
  "summary": "NOVEMBER 13 — Every generation believes the one after it has it easier, and the one before it simply does not unde...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}