A Vital Conversation: Bridging the Generational Divide With Hakeem Anwar

Off the Cuff Public Off the Cuff
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Originally published at: A Vital Conversation: Bridging the Generational Divide With Hakeem Anwar – Peak Prosperity

One of the ways I can reliably get Boomers angry with me is to point out that the Boomers are leaving behind a much worse world than the one they were born into. This is objectively true when measured along any of several economic, fiscal, or ecological vectors.

The typical angry Boomer response is, “I led a good and proper life, did the best I could, and was not responsible for any of those things!”

While individually true, collectively each generation must own its past, both good and bad.

My purpose in raising the specter of collective Boomer failure (of which I am right on the generational line, sometimes falling into the “X” category and sometimes Boomer, depending on who’s drawing the line) is not to shame the Boomers.

Instead, I am seeking to begin a dialog. One that starts by looking the younger generations square in the eye and saying, “I really have no idea what it’s like to be facing the world you are facing today, mine was completely different.”

It begins with being curious, asking open questions, and then listening.

In this podcast, I have such an open and frank conversation with Hakeem Anwar discussing systemic issues like inflation, high costs of living, and delayed life milestones.

We ended up touching upon a wide range of topics, from risk-taking and entrepreneurship, to critiquing the traditional educational path and earning a paycheck via getting a job.

How will AI disrupt any or all of that? What kinds of plans can a younger person make after becoming acquainted with the fiscal and political deterioration of their country?

As an ‘older,’ my role is to simply listen, absorb, and have empathy. It’s not to try to convince younger people that they have it all wrong and should just do what I did when I was their age. That world is gone, and it’s not coming back.

It’s a whole new world, with all new risks and threats, foreclosed options, and new opportunities.

Despite all that, we both expressed excitement for the future, advocating for persistence, engaging in inner work, and knowing that tough times often create the most meaningful roles.

Listen and then comment below.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:50 Generational Perspectives on Wealth and Responsibility
06:58 Breaking Free from School Conditioning
08:58 Navigating Unprecedented Times
11:03 The Importance of Real Skills
13:20 Building Community and Resilience
16:12 Generational Wealth and Knowledge Transfer
19:08 The Future of Work and Economy
21:32 Rebuilding Community Values
24:16 The Role of Health in Community
27:16 Embracing Change and New Industries
30:32 The Power of Community Builders
33:11 Mentorship and Support for the Next Generation

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@cmartenson I thought Ian’s take on the youth around the 59 min mark (for about 5 or 6 min after) in this interview was also really interesting… https://x.com/iancarrollshow/status/2019844054033555490?s=42

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Anyone who says otherwise is in denial! If there wasn’t a huge divide, then our youth would not have been hoodwinked into mortgaging lives with a worthless diploma. Only to find out they “must” pay it all back or else. So back to living with mom and dad and foregoing, starting a family and feeding the system which is heavily weighted to the boomers who put a strain on the system.

AI will make their lives even more painful as it takes away more jobs as inflation crushes anyone making less than $100K. Chipotle is now targeting those who earn more than $100K because those on the lower financial ladder can’t afford most fast food anymore as it has become too expensive.

If they want a new car most are out of reach when you add insurance and other costs. Yeah it’s definitely a good time to be starting out.

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I think the ai thing is temporary - because it’s extremely resource intensive including fossil fuel generated electricity and metals.

ai will not survive long term, heck the pre-ai internet probably won’t survive.

It’s a sad reflection of today’s culture especially among the wealthy/well educated that wasting a bunch of electricity generated by burning natural gas and materials to throw people out of work is smart and constitutes “progress” - in a time when we will need the resources we can get to do real things like heat and cool homes and make fertilizer.

Not to mention calling a company’s customer service line and getting an ai bot instead of a person really sucks. We didn’t learn anything from the original phone trees.

The last thing we need is a new energy user.

Should put truckers, farmers and tradespeople in charge - at least they have common sense because they work in the real world.

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AI has some good very specific uses. Unfortunately if managers are holding an AI hammer everything looks like a nail.

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People who make 100k are more likely to have access to the urgent health needed to deal with food poisoning, :joy:

A Chipotle opened in my area a year or so back. We went to see what it was all about, and to test our GI tracts. They took a giant tortilla filled it with a heap of cold rice a couple table spoons of seasoned meat, and small spoonfuls of the ingredients we selected. They wrapped the stuff half way and tossed it on a dirty tray, and had dirty tablestobsot at. We had two such items and a single cold drink and it was right at 30.00.

We can go to a local Mexican restaurants and get full table service, salads, beans entrees that include meat and real vegetables, chip and salsa service, a salsa and condiments bar, order a beer and a soda, are given a to go soda, leave a decent tip and walk out for less than 30.00. I typically ask for a take out box up front and divide my meal and take home what travels and reheats nicely for lunch the next day. So it’s actually three meals for 30.00.

Chipotle Sucks. But yes, even if better executed, the product is something people are likely electing not to blow 30 dollars on in a tough economy.

If the 100k folks are diving down to Chipotle as an affordable option what company above that price point is loosing ground?

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Some of the thing with the NEETs like my son is they never really worked and don’t want to work. All he wants to do is sit home and play video games. He says money doesn’t matter to him and that is all well and good for him to say when he is spending money like he has a hole in his wallet and expecting my husband and I to pay for it all. He IS lazy.

Its not that he got demoralized by the work force. Its that he has never applied himself ever to anything he has ever done. Then he sits in our house living off of us and insulting us and becoming physically belligernet to us. Note he is 22 and has never held a job over a year. We were paying for him to go to a 2 year community college trade school since he said 4 year school was ‘t for him. Ok great but he flunked out of that because he never went to class.

We try and put down a few simple rules, clean up after yourself, don’t waste food, turn off the lights when you leave. Totally basic shit but it turns into an argument. So we kicked him out AGAIN. Paid for a month at a long term extended stay that he must maintian after that month is done. He doesn’t want to learn any skills. He brags about never reading books. He is willfully ignorant but also full of opinions on everything.

The unemployment rate here is 3.5%. Skilled trades people in this area can walk into a new job easily. We are giving $5000 signing bonuses to electricians, mechanics and machinists.

So, I wished him good luck, gave him a months worth of food and took him over to the extended stay last week. I also sent him a buch of job links. He had an interview today. I hope he makes it, I really do but until he figures out this is the real world and I will no longer enable him he is going to have a rough time.

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I could guess over time we get “temu AI” that doesnt update itself constantly, then all development staff isnt around anymore in that context/company/organization as development money investment is cut down… so it could become like any other IT system in organizations. Sure excluded military and other niche cases where “national security” grants 7power plants and 10 datacenters for that closed use. But we dont know about those. Didnt this happen post dotcom… services were around but more sluggish, less development(some sites sat around basicly unchanged for a decade, maybe got sold 15 years post dotcom and got some refresh outlook). I still dont like amazon site… 90% of effort is often put to non consumer/user side(almost management side).

In some cases systems are simply shutdown if nobody understands how they work and can make updates.

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That is very good question. I dont have solutions but see very well and suffered from that… yes I got study place and was there in universtiy but still had same problems… not lack of motivation, but still enrolled to school these days doesnt help at all, as joblife and entry there is very long. Boomers cant and wont understand this as world and cultural landscape is so different. I dont believe in lack of money (scarcity mentality, populr in 80s and becoming again) that ytoung people need to be punished to “have motivation”. It simply makes this problem worse, as then video games at best are only thing available. Friends were for me “keeping up with joneses” but it aint easy, need lot of luck and some money still. It still takes years and years. Gut feeling says now steady job is only at 33 or something, anything below is very lucky. In 70s at 19 they had steady job and could choose to stay there for 30 years or switch to another job at 23,33 or 43.

This is yuugeee problem. Otakus in japan are simply tip of iceberg. Gerontocracy in western political elite have no understanding this is potentially biggest social problem now…it has been brewing and growing for decades. Yes it is numbers game, of course always 1-10% of people in age class are “lucky” via parents or friends or something, but society is numbers game where 1% will sink with it or revolution happens… 50-70% must be kept aboard like boomers were[at some it was even comparable to current AI hype and money pouring to keep them aboard at any cost..especially here in europe] (idk exact percentage but majority of them were kept aboard society, so minority who couldnt or didnt want to jump on board couldnt organize revolution).

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Ha Ha!

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Funny, you mention that because I remember reading some time ago that Chipotle was in the news just for that very same reason and why I have never stepped foot in their stores.

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Operating ai uses lots of energy, it’s not just a question of the development.

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Most 4 year degrees people get are useless. However, certain ones are useful. Most programs at community college here in the USA are 1-2 year career focused programs like Nurse, auto mechanic, xray tech, electrician etc. when you are in a bad accident and have to go in am ambulance do you want a paramedic how has been to a school and also had many hours OJT and testing or do you want some random guy off the street who is giving it a try?

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Im more referring to how clueless and misguided young people are. They pick a school. In many cases they even get degree and only then notice they are totally not fit for eg nurse or paramedic or engineer they have degree for. Or life situation changes and gotta give up that paramedic job and get new one, real estate agent seems popular 2nd or 3rd job.

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Been there, done that. Sometimes tough love is the best love you can provide. Our youngest is back with us, there’s a whole lot of (rationalized) reasons why. I just hope we’re not just enabling her. She’s making great money, and doing everything we ask, including paying some of the bills in the household.

Stay strong, and stick to your guns. Have you mentally decided what you do when he shows up at the door, tired, hungry, and wearing rags, begging for help?

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You’re doing the right thing. The enabling is over. Be strong!

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Could someone please post links to the Institutes he mentioned permaculture, open source ecology etc?

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For the most part, college for young people is nothing more than partying on the government’s money which they must payback.

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I can relate. Jumped in the shower the other day, nothing but cold water. Water heater failed. Damn, only 17 years old. Went out to fire up the old diesel truck, wouldn’t start. Educated guess, bad ignition/start relay. Swapped it out with another one, I think from the AC circuit. Guess I’ll find out on the next hot day.

Got down to the big box store and found a gas water heater, located on a high shelf. Wandered all over the store to find a forklift operator who was top gun maverick flight trained to be certified to operate a lift to fetch down the water heater. While he was fumbling with the machine, I collected a couple flex supplies and a cart to put the wh on and headed home. 3 hours shot.

Swapped out the wh in 15 minutes, but being a mobile home wh, the intake was at the bottom. I like using the mobile home model because it has a dumb thermostat that doesn’t have a thermopile to burn out every couple years. Got a 3 foot section of blue copper 3/4 pipe off the scrap rack and sweat some fittings onto it, connected the flex supplies and gas supply, and lit the pilot. Took another 15 minutes, for a total of half an hour.

Being a boomer kinda helped with this project. Mainly because, decades ago when I started, I only had two choices to decide on. Either work, or don’t eat. I chose the former, and figured out the rest as I went along. That said, I never really had time to master video games, because life kept throwing problems at me, that it thought I needed practice at solving.

Ps. I didn’t ask AI for help in the water heater project because I didn’t want to confuse it with the dumb thermostat dilemma.

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We’ve discussed if but I am not sure what I would do. Hopefully I can stay strong and not enable him.

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