Are this generation kids really smart?

P.S.:I am going to refer kids born after 2000 as "This generation", kids born before 2000 as "Previous generation" and kids born before 1960s as "Old generation".

How many times have you looked at a kid and exclaimed, "Wow, he/she is really smart!" or said, "These generation kids are really smart for their age!" . I was also one among you until sometime back.

But then, if you see the activities of these kids, it would have been mostly related to usage of new electronic gadgets like mobile or laptop,etc. And we consider them smart as our old generation or even we fumble with those stuff at times. So it is just that these kids are good with "current" generation stuff or rather they are smart enough to survive during this time.

This world has always been a place for the survival of the fittest. Current generation kids are smart enough to survive in today's world similar to what we were in previous generation.

So when we have been amazed by kids' smartness, what we have actually done is evaluated previous generation kids and current generation kids in current environment, which is thereotically and practically wrong. For evaluation on a scale, the environment should be same.

So how to justify the "knowledge" of kids in handling latest gadgets? Simple. They are born and brought up with these and hence they are just accustomed to this. They are becoming more and more dependent on these.

This generation kid will go clueless if you present him with an abacus instrument or tell him to use fingers to count, the same way our older generation go clueless whether to use "Single click" or "Double click" in windows.

He will consider it an harassment if you tell him to prepare a balance sheet using a accounts notebook with the only help being a small solar calculator(isn't it a harassment if you don't provide him the tools like excel and atleast a scientific calculator to work with)!

So it is that the overall total ability of an individual remains the same - only that the balances tilt a bit. What was lost in the capacity of memory(Brain is not for storing data anymore. What is a computer storage fori then?), and in physical strength, we have gained in usage of appliances which can take care of work.

Why do we need to memorize all tables, poems or mantras when it can be stored in cheap storage? Well, not that I am complaining. I do that too.

Let us talk about genes. We know that no genetical engineering is being performed in our DNAs to make us smarter. Unlike the immunizations for diseases, there is nothing like a "intelligence" injection to make us more intelligent. Intelligence is an outcome of physical and mental stability and well being. So though we are becoming less diesease prone but we are becoming punier compared to old generation. If we see the life size portraits of Kings and Queens of 17th or 18th century, we feel like pygmies in size and stature.

Thank God we don't have to go battle fields on horse backs, chariots or be foot soldiers armed with bows and arrows. We have guns and missiles! Otherwise both side soldiers will just die of dehydration and too much physical stress.

Jurassic Park was a rage when the first movie in the series was released as we were dumbfounded by the graphics. Today, watching John Carter is a torture! Where is the story? Who cares about graphics which is present in every other movie?

Well coming back, are these generation kids any smarter than we were? Not really! It depends on which battlefield you are in. Deprive them of latest gadgets and you don't even have to fight them as they feel the world has come to an end!