The role of the baby boomer generation

Recently, a medical error was reported in which a kidney intended for transplant was mistakenly discarded, but mistakes in the medical field, including blood transfusions, surgery, drugs, and anesthesia, are endless. Every time an accident occurs, one feels the unreliability of the professionals involved. This is a serious matter because mistakes can affect people's lives. Similarly, in the construction industry, there has been an increase in accidents due to design and construction errors, and the number of lawsuits is on the rise. Furthermore, there are even architects who lack professional ethics, as in the case of the falsification of earthquake resistance strength. Considering the extent to which it affects daily life, this is a major problem, and I feel that something must be done about the unreliability of the professionals.

We often hear people say that "people can't do the obvious things," but is there a problem with education? In the education world, issues such as bullying and the decline in the quality of teachers are making headlines almost daily. Recently, it has come to light that many schools are only teaching subjects for entrance exams while making it appear that students have completed compulsory subjects, revealing schools that are misunderstanding the purpose of education. The term "second-time new graduates" has also been featured often in the media recently, and many young people who have managed to get a job at a company simply change jobs. One reason is that they are unable to adapt to the social environment, but the fact that many of them are unable to envision their future is probably a result of an education that prioritizes entrance exams.

On the other hand, the baby boomer generation was born in the ruins of postwar Japan, and started from scratch. They are a generation that contributed greatly to Japan's rapid economic growth, even as they struggled with a rapidly changing environment. They were forced to compete repeatedly among an overwhelming number of their peers. Their motivation was quite simple: to seek prosperity, but it came at the expense of time with their families. The consequences of neglecting their families are manifesting in the form of the competitive exam race in which fathers are absent, and middle-aged divorces. This is nothing but a lack of communication.

Today's young people probably can't understand the way the baby boomers lived. I personally feel that it is becoming very difficult to communicate with young people in the workplace. The quality of communication is different between young people who are confused by various choices and the generation that ran toward their goals with all their might. What is required of the baby boomers now is the ability to communicate openly. It has only been recently that information disclosure has been recognized as an important factor that determines corporate value at the corporate level, but communication with society is the basis for gaining social trust, and open communication is the foundation for creating a new corporate culture. And to create an attractive corporate culture, it is necessary for young people to find social value in their existence through open communication. The transfer of technology is meaningless if it is merely a formality. The baby boomers should make an effort to communicate with the next generation of young people in the time they have left. Instead of unilaterally telling them stories of the past or scolding them, their final duty is to listen to the worries and doubts of young people, help them realize the joy, fun, and pride of making things, and support them so that they can gain confidence. It is our hope that through these efforts, we will nurture many young people who have common sense about "manufacturing" and who will lead the next generation as experts who can live up to the trust placed in them by society.