The Lottery Response

What part of our society should be re-evaluated? Is there anything that we do that should be questioned? OR is it acceptable to live according to customs in order to keep things in order.
What is the significance of Old Man Warner bringing up the "young folks". What role do young people play in our society?

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People can be categorized in many different ways, and two of the main ones include people who are more laidback and prefer to "go with the flow," and people who are assertive, and are constantly striving for more.

It is, in some sense, much more simple to live life following customs that were set by our elders. There would be no need to worry about anything -- minimal problems, no concerns or worries whatsoever. It would be like following a daily routine, and if a problem should arise, it would be easy to refer back to rules that were set aside for these customs. But would they bring us anywhere? Would they advance our society, and take us where we've gotten today?

Old Man Warner implied that "nothing's good enough for the young folks." While he may have meant it in a casual and negative way, I believe that the original message of this comment is undoubtedly correct. Nowadays, young folks like ourselves are always striving for more, striving to do better. We are constantly questioning things around us -- why is it such a bother to have a camera, a cell phone, AND an iPod? Why can't we combine them all into one? It is questions and complaints like these that give people opportunities to advance our society. Adolescents in our society are pretty much the people in charge. They keep our society up and running, and keep it running efficiently. They make up the majority of the human population in every society, and nearly every business and market is designed to satisfy them. Because of this, we are not able to sit back and just accept old-fashioned rules that have been laid down for us years ago -- we need new improvements, we need changes and advancements, and most of all, we need what we want. As a teenager, what we want concerns us far more than anything else. At this point in life, we are not experienced enough to think everything thoroughly. This all boils down to the way our society is run -- based on impulsive decisions that ultimately bring changes for our world.

But does that make it acceptable? So we are advancing, we are looking ahead. Is that correct? Not necessarily. Our elders and ancestors have obviously created customs and traditions in the past for a reason. Many people like to believe that the elderly tend to be more wise -- they have lived far longer than we have, and have had a lot more significant experiences. They can distinguish between the "rights" and "wrongs" that young folks often blindly disregard, and sometimes it is necessary to firmly impose this upon the people, to make sure that the message is clearly sent out to everyone, and of course, the best solution would be to make it mandatory. Everyone may disagree to them at first, but as time ticks by, year after year, traditions just sink in, and people follow them. Eventually, people begin to realize that customs keep a community in order. Customs also identify the members of a community, and show that they are truly a part of the society that they claim to be in. Because of this, these "seniors" believe that they hold the correct end in the controversial argument about whether or not customs and traditions from many years ago should be kept. These people believe that they alone know what is best for the society, and that the hotheaded teenagers would certainly not be able to make correct decisions.

As a result, both sides clash and contradict eachother. The young folks scoff at the elderly for being old-fashioned and for dragging the society behind; the elderly are unhappy with the young folks for thinking they can do anything they want and trying to break out of old traditions.

All of that being said, what should be questioned about our society? I believe that it is good for the society in general that people are trying to advance our generation. But the question is, is it acceptable to wipe out the foundations that the earlier people have set for us while making our own attempts to reach whatever goals we have set for ourselves? Is it acceptable to just blindly go for what we want, regardless of what other people think and want? That being said, is it acceptable, then, for the elderly to prevent progress from the younger generation? Are they allowed to stop others from achieving their own goals just because it disagrees with their own views of society? I think not. If we all claim to be going for what is best for everyone, nobody will ever reach a consensus. No matter who says what, people are inclined to believe that their way is the RIGHT way. But that is never true -- nobody is always right, and nobody is always wrong. So what gives the elderly the right to believe that they are correct? Just because they are older -- does that truly make them more intelligent? And what allows the adolescents to doubt the intentions of the elderly?

I think this aspect of our society needs to be re-evaluated. We can't all choose our own paths, and just blindly plough ahead without considering any options at all. We also cannot doubt and criticize other people's opinions without any reasoning or justification, other than the fact that they contradict our own. But in life today, this happens almost everywhere. Arguments arise from disagreements, and fights are triggered through discrimination, bullying, and the putting down of other people's ideas. Is this the kind of place we want to live in and be a part of? Nobody likes being picked on, I think that is one thing we can all agree on as normal human beings. Why, then, is nobody making the effort to re-evaluate this aspect of our society? Every single person out there does not like it when other people go against them -- if it is so easy to tell others not to be mean to others, not to criticize others, not to put down others, and not to be biased towards others ... why is it so hard to act upon these words?