These youngsters are influencing society already. They are creating markets for all sorts of products and services. Their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents like me buy food, toys, and clothing that the children prefer. Alphas are consumers as babies and toddlers by virtue of prompting their caregivers to provide the items they prefer.
These children appear to be more independent and self-directed than those who were born earlier. They are more self-aware, more socially aware, and more environmentally aware. Awareness is key in the consciousness movement. If we are encouraging everyone to be more conscious, this generation seems to have more consciousness upon arrival than any previous generation!
This generation has more “stuff” than any of us who came before. They are tech-savvy, having cell phones, computer games, televisions, and other electronic gizmos in abundance. They have access to more information via their computers than we can imagine. It is suggested that their reliance on technology may breed a certain amount of dependence and unwillingness to strike out on their own. They may live at home with parents longer, stay in school longer, and start careers at a later age. It’s predicted that their life spans will be longer than previous generations. Stay tuned. We’ll have to wait and see.
Some of us from the “older” generations view these young people, including Gen X, Y, and Z kids, as the promise of the future. They are smart, able to envision new possibilities, and are coming up with solutions to problems created by their predecessors. If you want to have a mind-blowing experience, watch the 60 Minutes episode on savants—like the child who could play the violin and compose music at age three! Alphas are ”first,” and primary, like the most powerful alpha male or female leader in the animal world. The name Alpha seems to have been chosen because we ran out of letters after X, Y, and Z. However, Alpha is a word that connotes the beginning, and “In the beginning was the word . . . .
