Meaning of life Quote by David Foster Wallace
““I think this generation has it worse or better than any other. Because I think we're going to have to make it up. I think we're going to have to make up a lot of our own morality, and a lot of our own values. I mean, the old ones-- the '60s and early '70s did a marvelous job of just showing how ridiculous and hypocritical, you know, the old authoritarian Father's-always-right, don't-question-authority stuff was. But nobody's ever really come along and given us anything to replace it with. Reagan gave us a kind-- I mean, the Reagan spasm I think was very much a story about a desperate desire to get back to that. But Reagan sold the past. Reagan enabled a fantasy that the last forty years hadn't taken place. And we're the first generation--maybe people starting about my age, it started in '62. We grew up sorta in the rubble of kind of the old system. And we know we don't want to go back to that. But the sort of--this confusion of permissions, or this idea that pleasure and comfort are the, are really the ultimate goal and meaning of life. I think we're starting to see a generation die.. on the toxicity of that idea.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Generation Morality, 2005
The speaker argues that current generations must create new moral frameworks because past values are outdated and insufficient, leading to confusion and harmful pursuits of pleasure.
In simple terms: We need new morals; old ones fail.
Key Takeaway
Create and live by fresh values.
Themes
morality
generation
conflict
values
culture
Mood
reflective
critical
concerned
Type
philosophical
social commentary
generational critique
When to use this quote
- young adults
- policy makers
- educators
- media creators
- family discussions
Key Concepts
ethical relativism
social construction
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we responsibly build new values?
- What old principles can be adapted?
A Different Perspective
Old values may still hold useful insights if reinterpreted.
