The child is the father of the man

The older generation did not ask a lot of questions. But followed whatever was told to them.
The younger generation ask a million questions. Rarely follow what is told to them(by the older generation).

Older generation: Our parents/grandparents, generalized
New/this generation: Us/younger to us

Who is more right?

Let's analyze.

When it comes to being versatile in their likes(I know people who listen from Yanni to Sudha Ragunathan) I doubt if anyone can beat this generation. They rarely do anything without questioning it. Which is good, rt?
They pretty much know everything from Soccer to Carnatic.
They read from Malgudi days to Da Vinci Code.
They have views on everything, right from Sonia Gandhi not being related to the Mahatma to the current Fed rate cuts in the US.
Their knowledge knows no boundary, simply because there is so much exposure in today's world.
I see less of male chauvinism, ego & more of understanding & the need to be happy & satisfied.
Some of them do not believe in God, some say they are spiritual but not religious(thanks to Orkut), some say they are Atheists & do not believe in the existence of a God, some follow natural Guru's, some believe in God, others hate people not believing in God. Phew. What a variety!!!

Our parents/ grandparents did everything as they were told. No questions asked.
They probably listened only to Carnatic music & believed that was the world. Well, they were happy with it. I wouldn't accept that they were male chauvinists, but they did have some ego associated with their caste, family traditions, ancestor's property, religion etc. Almost all of them were religious & "believers".
Wives were mostly at home: Took utmost care of all the children & the elders of the family.
A lot happened everywhere in the world, but I am not sure if they were even interested in it. The male of the family, yes, but the ladies, I doubt.
How they managed to get all their kids good education & a good life after that bites me. They were so contented whatever little they earned.
They believed in honesty, labour & sharing.

The verdict: after hearing both the sides, I have reached the following conclusion(Solomon Papaiya ishtyle)
I think each is justified wherever they are/were. I will not totally agree that the world is a better place to live now, but as individuals/kids/ families, I think we are all better off today. I just hope this keeps going in the right direction.

P.S: Had I not generalized, I would not have been able to write anything. I have seen exceptions in my own family.
I am from a Tamil Brahmin community & hence my knowledge is limited to this community.