Gen-X People Like Me Are Ashamed Of Gen-Z's Core Values — 'It's Time For A Hard Reset'
It’s time for Gen-Z to do a hard reset — a return to the simple things.
AnnaNahabed | Canva Listen up, world. It’s time to face the facts. Things are going in a handbasket. Fast. And who’s to blame? Well, everyone, of course. But don’t worry — Gen-X is here to save the day.
While you kids are busy TikTok-ing your way into oblivion and Boomers are still trying to figure out how to send a text, Gen-X has been quietly sitting back, sipping our Mountain Dew’s (now diet), and taking it all in.
It's time for Gen-Z to have a hard reset on their core values and return to the simple things:
1. Learn to be bored again
Remember boredom? That beautiful, unadulterated space where creativity was born? We do. Growing up, we didn’t have screens glued to our faces 24/7.
We had four channels on TV (five if you were lucky enough to have PBS), a half-broken VCR, and a stack of comics that doubled as a table leg. We had no choice but to invent fun.
So here’s our advice: Embrace the boredom. Put down the gadgets, turn off the Wi-Fi, and spend a few hours staring at a wall. You’d be amazed at how many world-saving ideas come to you when you’re not distracted by cat videos and influencer drama.
2. Unplug, literally, like MTV used to do
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Do you know what’s killing the planet? All these gadgets and gizmos. Back in our day, if your Walkman ate your favorite cassette tape, you didn’t cry about it on social media.
You grabbed a pencil and spent the next hour manually rolling that bad boy back together. A little elbow grease never hurt anyone.
And let’s not forget about the real unplugging that mattered: MTV’s “Unplugged” concerts. Yes, kids, there was a time when MTV played music.
Mind-blowing, right? MTV wasn’t just a reality TV factory back then. They had these amazing shows where artists would strip down their music to the essentials — no auto-tune, no flashy effects, just raw talent, and real instruments.
Nirvana, Eric Clapton, and even Tony Bennett — they all went unplugged, proving that sometimes, less is more. If it worked for the greats, maybe it’s time we all took a page from their book.
So, here’s the plan: Turn off your devices, dust off your acoustic guitar (we know you have one stashed away somewhere from that brief flirtation with being the next Ed Sheeran), and experience the beauty of going unplugged.
And if playing an instrument isn’t your thing, try just sitting quietly with your thoughts for a while (oh the horror). It’s like a concert for your brain — stripped down, raw, and real.
The 24-hour news cycle doesn’t do anyone any favors. The news is all about keeping your attention (that’s how they make money!)
It’s all about stirring you up and making you react, and social media is even worse. If you can find something to be upset about, social media will keep throwing more and more of that at you until you think that’s the only way to view the world.
We think we have formed our own opinions, but news and social media have done more to influence our opinions than we want to admit.
The solution to our modern woes? Unplug. Literally. Take a break from your 17 streaming subscriptions and dig out that old boombox from the attic.
If you don’t have one, borrow it from a Gen-Xer. We still have ours — right next to our vinyl collection, which, by the way, sounds way better than your compressed digital nonsense.
And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try reading a book. A real one. With pages. It might just change your life.
3. Go outside without your phone
This one might blow your mind: there’s a whole world outside your front door. And no, I’m not talking about Pokémon GO. I mean the real outside.
The kind with fresh air, grass, and things called “trees.” Gen-X remembers a time when going outside didn’t involve checking in on an app. We just went.
Sometimes for hours. Sometimes all day. And our parents? They didn’t track us like we were under FBI surveillance. They just expected us back before the street lights turned on.
If you want to save the world, start by going outside. Leave your phone inside. Go for a walk. Ride a bike.
Feel the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. If you’re really brave, try camping. Not “glamping,” mind you. Real camping. The kind where you get dirty and have to pee behind a tree.
4. Learn the art of doing nothing
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We’ve become a culture obsessed with “doing.” If you’re not hustling, grinding, and side-gigging, are you even living?
Gen-X knows the truth: doing nothing is an art form. We perfected it during countless hours of lounging on the couch, listening to the same three Nirvana tracks on repeat.
To save the world, we need to stop doing and start being. Be still. Be present.
Be the person who knows how to sit in a room quietly without needing a fidget spinner or a YouTube meditation guide. Trust us, the world could use a little more nothing.
5. Eat real food — and we don’t mean kale chips
Remember when food was, well, food? Gen-X does. We didn’t grow up on a diet of kale smoothies and chia seed pudding. We ate real meals with real ingredients — like spaghetti with Prego sauce, PB&J on white bread, and those questionable casseroles our parents whipped up with whatever was in the pantry.
The world doesn’t need another avocado toast. It needs real food. Food that fills you up and sticks to your ribs. And while we’re at it, let’s bring back family dinner.
Not the kind where everyone is staring at their phones, but the kind where you talk to each other. Who knows, you might even like your family.
So, there you have it, folks. The world may be going in the garbage, but don’t worry, Gen-X has got this. All we need to do is return to the simple things.
Be bored, unplug (like, really unplug), go outside, do nothing, and eat real food. Simple, right?
And if all else fails, we’ve got our mixtapes ready to go. So while the world burns, we’ll be kicking back with a Diet Coke, blasting The Cure, and remembering the good old days when our biggest worry was whether or not we’d be able to record the latest episode of The X-Files over that old VHS tape of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Because, in the end, we’re Gen-X. We’ve seen it all. And if there’s one thing we know, it’s that sometimes the simplest answers are the best ones.
Andrew J. Mair is a writer and storyteller whose work explores faith, family, and culture. He is the author of Tales of a Paperboy – A Christmas Story and has been featured on multiple platforms, including YourTango.