The First Generation to Be Poorer: Navigating an Uncertain Future

We're always told that we'll see things differently as we grow and that things will change or that we'll change our mind about things. However, we're never prepared for how different things will be. The thing is, our generation is very different than our parents'.

I'm a late millennial. The way I saw my parents as I grew up in an average home, is very different to what I'm seeing people our age are doing compared to when my parents were my age.

I recently watched a podcast interview that our generation is the first generation to be poorer than the generation before. And I'm seeing this everywhere.. I'm in my early thirties. By the time my mom was in her early thirties, she had already had me, the third child, and soon after, my brother. My dad had been working and had reached a good position, good enough to give us a comfortable life. We lived well. And when I look around these days, so many are having trouble even getting married at our age. Others who get married can't afford to have children yet.

It's strange because there is also a dynamic shift in the life cycle stages and in life expectancies (not too much in the latter). People are acting younger than how are parents acted when they were our age. They say the 30s are the new 20s now.. But is it because they are or is it because the millennials feel like they are behind in life and like they just can't let go of their 20's? It feels like we didn't get enough time, like the 20's just flew by and we need a do-over. But even the generations younger than us are acting younger than we did when we were their age in terms of handling responsibility and gaining maturity. They are not maturing as fast as we did, and we didn't mature as fast as our parents did.

Until when though? will we ever reach a point a few generations from now where people will start getting married in their 40's and having children in their 50's? Only a couple generations ago women were getting married in their late teens and having children right away. And now it's the norm to have children in the 30's...

Will the human body adapt in a way to allow women to have children in their 40's naturally and healthily?

Things are shifting and changing around us and the world is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. However I do still believe there is a way to make it in life in a fulfilling way. I haven't reached there yet, but I still believe it's possible.

Life is weird. And no matter how much we prepare for it, it is still always the first time we'll ever be the age that we are, and the last time too. This is the youngest I'll ever be and yet the oldest I've ever been. Yet we are expected to live that age. All we can do is share our experiences and hope they help the younger generation see things more clearly than we did to avoid mistakes that we've made, and possibly live a slightly better life. Because what is the purpose of life in the end if not to leave it better than we found it..?