People Born In The 1970s Refuse To Live By 10 Rules That Younger Generations Almost Always Follow
Miljan Zivkovic / ShutterstockGen Xers born in the ‘70s have very different lifestyles and values than young people today. They grew up in a vastly different environment, with different morals and expectations to follow.
That’s why people born in the 1970s refuse to live by certain rules that younger generations almost always follow. They’ve had different childhoods, been socialized into different identities, and prioritize wildly different things.
People born in the 1970s refuse to live by 10 rules that younger generations almost always follow
1. Your job defines your identity
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For many young people, there’s a strong expectation to choose a career, often from an incredibly young age, that absolutely defines their identity and personhood. Self-worth is tied to success.
While it can sometimes be gratifying and motivating to have a job with a great deal of purpose and meaning, over-identifying with a career can often harm well-being and chip away at self-worth. When something goes wrong, you can’t work, or layoffs inevitably sweep through the office, it’s a person’s self-worth that’s at risk.
Of course, considering many people in the ‘70s could work less demanding jobs, with less prestige and status tied to them, and still make a living, it’s not surprising that they refused to live by this rule. They worked hard and often gave a lot to their companies, but the added layer of status and prestige often didn’t have much to do with it, because most jobs paid enough for families to get by.
2. More is better
In our materialistic, consumerist world today, it’s not surprising that many young people embrace the “more is better” mindset. From career success to money, friendships, and material things, they’re always in pursuit of something “bigger” and “better.”
However, many people born in the 1970s lived by different frugal rules of conserving personal resources, living a simpler life, and being appreciative of things they already have. They didn’t have pressures to buy and feed into trends from social media all of the time, so they could live by their own standards and with their own preferences without guilt.
3. Everything should be monetized and optimized
Compared to a much simpler life in the ‘70s, when personal spaces were less commodified and hobbies could be enjoyed as a way to fill free time, younger generations today are forced to monetize everything. They’re pressured to make money on social media and change their hobbies into side hustles, instead of simply enjoying the free time they work so hard to cultivate with work-life boundaries and balance.
Even for kids and young adults who were able to embrace “play” a few decades ago, this desire to monetize everything in the modern age, oftentimes to cope with economic turmoil, is making everything less fun.
4. Discomfort is something to run from
Discomfort is the key to personal growth, according to a study published in the Psychological Science journal, which is why it’s important to make space for it. Instead of distracting yourself with busyness or constant entertainment and avoiding hard conversations or breakthroughs, as many younger generations do today, it’s important to build resilience by accepting challenges.
Instant gratification, constant mindless entertainment, and gentle parenting encourage modern young adults to seek comfort from others and to avoid making mistakes, when, in reality, being okay with discomfort is a superpower that people raised in the ‘70s boast.
5. Everything should be convenient
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From food delivery to overnight shipping and even the instant gratification and stimulation that comes from having a phone in your hands at all times, many younger generations have learned to be completely reliant on convenience. While it’s nice to have things at our fingertips, these kinds of expectations for constant comfort and convenience are also making people meaner, more entitled, and in some cases, narcissistic.
However, just a few decades ago, people born in the ‘70s were fairly acquainted with practicing a strong work ethic, managing discomfort, and being bored. They learned to appreciate the art of waiting and delayed gratification, and in many ways, it shaped their resilience and patience as adults today.
6. You need to ‘heal’ from everything
While there’s certainly a balance that needs to be struck between the emotional stigma and suppression of the ‘70s and the overemphasis of healing and feeling in society today, people from a few decades ago didn’t necessarily care about or feed into today's “healing” culture.
They didn’t grow unreliable because they were protecting their peace or remain stagnant in life because they needed to heal. They simply lived with their own emotions. They didn’t cut people off or “ghost” to avoid the discomfort of a hard conversation. Our culture today encourages young people to be constantly healing from trauma and making space for emotions, and while that’s great in many ways, it can also do more harm than good.
7. Always follow your passion
While today’s culture often encourages people to follow their “passions” and create meaning in their work, it often subtly promotes a greater workaholic mentality and productivity among workers. People in the ‘70s were comfortable taking jobs simply to make a living. Their meaning in life came from their personal time, family, and relationships, not from their income or job title.
There was far less empowerment and prestige around following a career in the arts or “struggling” for a passion, because most jobs paid enough for people to do both.
8. You have to avoid boredom
Despite being demonized in a modern culture thriving with convenience, constant entertainment, and stimulation, boredom is incredibly important for brain health and general well-being. Not only does it offer space for us to recharge, as experts from the Mayo Clinic explain, but it also helps improve cognitive processes, mood, and overall well-being.
While people born in the ‘70s had the chance to experience boredom from a very young age, modern kids are pressured into entertainment and mindless stimulation. Without phones to distract them or parents constantly hovering around to monitor their actions, they could accept boredom and all the personal growth that came with it.
9. Everything needs an explanation
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Especially in our modern culture, where “cancel culture” and a constant, sometimes misguided, need for accountability run rampant, it’s not surprising that young people believe they deserve explanations for everything. Especially with cell phone anonymity and constant surveillance, they don’t have the same kind of practice in integrity to make choices without being called out for doing something “wrong.”
Of course, this kind of cancel culture and obsessive accountability only ends up creating more depression, anxiety, and isolation in an already chronically lonely society. However, without cell phones and social media to the extent modern kids have today, people born in the ‘70s could practice making choices and live more private lives.
They didn’t need an explanation for everything because they had the support systems and self-assuredness to accept discomfort and growth without it.
10. Your success should be documented
With comparison culture on social media pushing young people to seek external validation, it’s not surprising that Gen Z and other younger generations almost always feel their success should be documented. They overshare, speak about goals before achieving them, and brag on social media, all to feel more secure and seen in our isolated society.
Compared to these modern norms of seeking attention and validation for success, people born in the ‘70s learned to embrace more private lives. Celebrations of success and validation happened internally, so they could work hard and achieve without anyone else patting them on the back.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
