Originally written to be part of my internship report 

As a requirement to opt to the Bachelors Degree in Modern Languages in the University of Los Andes

 

 

“I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message”

Steve Irwin

Education is considered to be one of the most important pillars in the development of an individual within a society.Some authors argue that education, indeed, is vital in the first stages of childhood. In this sense, Loveless (n.d) asserts that children enrolled in early school programs usually tend to have less behavioral issues as well as finishing highschool and pursuing a higher degree diploma (para. 5). With this, one could claim that education, above all, the educational system plays a fundamental role in many aspects of the formation of individuals. Similarly, Loveless argues that one of the most prominent benefits of the education system in individuals is the development of interpersonal and social skills. (para. 3). In this sense, the benefits of education could be taken as an example of the impact it has not only on his childhood but also on the course of a person's life.

Thus, the education of an individual is also important in other aspects besides his personal development. At the collective level, the education system is affected and has an impact, as well, on society and the economy of that society. Bharat Kumar (n.d), explains that the benefits that educational systems bring to society are innumerable. Within its broader objective, it argues that education seeks to complete the process of implementing the values and rules that society requires in its individuals. Moreover, he argues that at some point schools complement the knowledge imparted by the family from the early stages of the infant's life. “The school devotes much, of its time and energy to the matter such as co-operation, good citizenship, doing one’s duty and upholding the law.” (para. 3). However, this does not only extend to these aspects. Kumar (n.d), declares that among other things, the educational system also teaches social identity as well as confers status and "class" within the social organization since it is organized according to the type of education that an individual has had.

Similarly, as Nobel Prize winner T.W Schultz states, education rather than a disbursement is an investment. (as cited in Patrinos, 2016, para. 7). Since, as Harry Patrinos (2016) explains, investing in the education of young people would report profits at an economic level since it would be invested in the human capital of future generations that will be part of the new labor generation. Nonetheless, the price of education and its accessibility has an important aspect in this equation due to the price of education in many countries has increased over the years, the United States being the best known for its exorbitant educational costs, especially in higher education. Ripley (2018), explains that the United States spends on college more than almost any other developed country, “including the contributions of individual families and the government (in the form of student loans, grants, and other assistance), Americans spend about $30,000 per student a year—nearly twice as much as the average developed country.” (para.4). For this reason, throughout the decades in the United States, has emerged a remarkable contrast in people's perspective towards higher education, especially the importance of continuing studies beyond high school to obtain a better future. In this sense, this dilemma of perspectives highlights the vision of the Baby Boom generation and Millennials (Generation Y) who stand out for their varied opinions regarding the feasibility and need for higher education.

With this, the purpose of this paper is to explore the economic and social context of each generation taking special focus on university higher education to finally have a deeper knowledge about the role education plays according to generations and what this could mean for the evolution of educational systems for future generations. 

 

Photo by Emily Ranquist from Pexels

Generation labels. Baby Boomers: an insight

First, it would be necessary to define what is meant by generational labels or cohorts. Story (2014) defines this term as a group of people born in a period of time that share certain characteristics or behaviors and beliefs that, taken together, are different from other groups (para. 5-6). Moreover, Kakasa (2019) explains that these labels began from the generation that lived during World War II, which was named the Silent Generation. After that time, another one of much more prosperity began in which there was a notable increase in the birth rate. This generation would be called “Baby Boom.” With this, it could be said that Baby Boomers or people belonging to this generation comprise people born between 1944 and 1964 although it would be important to emphasize that these criteria are not strict since there is not an exact rule to define the end of one generation and the beginning of another. Thus, in terms of characteristics of such a large group, it is quite controversial to delimit the general thought or features due to the fact that these criteria may not describe every individual belonging to this generational cohort. However, the events and bakground of importance could be mentioned in order to seek to have a more accurate perspective of this generation.

A relevant important factor on the social level would be the activist character of this generation such as the hippie movement which constituted an opposition to the materialistic values of the dominant middle class of the time (Britannica.com, 2020). As a fact, this movement was originated in the colleges as a form of merely social protest against the mainstrain consumerist culture. Nevertheless, consumerism was common due to the privileged economic situation the US was experiencing in the momento this meaning, Baby Boomers were considered a richer generation compared to other generations.

London in November 1967. (Photo by Rolls Press via Getty Images)

 

With this, it could be posible to debate that the context of a generation has a considerable impact on the perspective they have on many aspects of life. In this form, education being an important pillar in life, could not be exempt from this influence. Thus according to Census data (as cited in Ness 2013) only 26, 8 of the Baby Boomers obtained a Bachelor's degree or higher. However, taking other data into account, this information would provide a clearer approach as to what these statistics would mean for the general perspective of this generation about the importance of higher education. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (2012) points that Baby Boomers with Bachelor's degrees or high were estimated at 84% (men) and 71% (women) employed from the age of 18 to 46 years. In addition, BLS explains that individuals with university degrees tended to have a 2.9% increase in their income annually (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019, para. 1). Futhermore, the Barron’s website (2019) explains that in 1990, the Baby Boom generation held 21% of the country's wealth (para. 3). Nowadays, it is also argued that this generation currently holds 57% of the nation's wealth, which represents a high percentage compared to later generations (para. 5).

All this established, this information in conjunction could point to a fairly positive perspective regarding the importance and vital aspect of higher education for a better future. However, there is no general consensus on the perception of education for this generation other than the interpretation of the data. In other words, this data could lead us to interpret the view Baby Boomers have on education as an achievable step to have a more prosperous career.

Via Pexels

Millennials, underemployment and student loans: Is it worth it to keep educating us?

In contrast to the clear perspective that exists regarding where generations begin and where they end, there is no general consensus on the years in which the Y or Millennial generation ends and the next one begins. On the one hand, authors as Howe and Strauss in their book Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069 (1991) indicate that Millennial generation starts in the year 1982 and ends in the year 2004. While on the other hand, Dimock (2019) considers that individuals born between 1981 and 1996 belong to generation Y. For the purpose of this paper, this perspective will be taken into consideration over the one indicated by Howe and Strauss since, in constrast, Dimock uses recent and considerable events to highlight an important point in the history of society that could differenciate the point of view of Millennials and their subsequent, generation Z.

With this, “Millennial” generation is considered as a optimist generation, raised with the “follow your dreams” vision (Rouse, 2019, para. 2) despite the fact of being considered a generation that will be less economically fluid than the previous ones. In addition in the technological environment, Millennials grew up with computers which makes them more familiar with interfaces and new technologies. Thus, Rouse describes Millennials as comfortable with social life on the Internet (para. 7). This added to its optimism is evidenced in the aptitude that this generation has for self-promotion, especially in social networks. Also, Rouse argues that these traits result in unreal expectations when entering adulthood and the labor field. This is reflected in the high rate of underemployment of this generation. As Rouse explains, “[Millennials] find themselves employed in unrelated fields or underemployed and job hopping more frequently than previous generations” (2019, para. 3).” In fact, in contrast to this optimism, this generation faces a strong challenge in the workplace. Dimock (2019) states that Millennials bear the consequences of the economic recession to such an extent that this is the factor that has adjusted their decisions, especially in the United States (para. 10). In this regard, Stahl (2016) in his article states that in 2013 in the United States, 41% of Millennials reported being employed in jobs that required less or no qualification (university degree) although these figures have been increasing to such point of reaching a percentage of 51% (para. 2). In addition, Lutz (2017) also states that this employment problem in this generation is little treated by the public, partly due to the shame on the part of the individual of not being fulfilling a job at their educational level and since the attention towards Employee versus unemployed problem keeps being more relevant making the issue less important because in the end, the individual is still employed (para. 2).

Via Pexels

 

Similarly, this employment issue has as consequence various aspects such as in medical insurance, real estate acquisition and payment of student loans. This is reflected in an article by The Guardian (2016) in which the 56.5% generation of Millennials in 2014 were considered working class (para. 5). Thus, he also states that this happens in the case of young adults of this generation because they embark on university studies acquiring student loans and upon graduation they are caught in debt.

“I’m definitely scared, mostly because I’m paying so much for myself and for my student loans, so I can’t put that money into a nest egg,” she said. “How will I ever be able to put down money for a house? How will I be able to afford a wedding?” (The Guardian, 2016, para. 11)

Hoffower (2018), explains that, in fact, the life of this generation is more expensive than previous generations because the cost of housing. It is up to 39% more expensive than it would have cost previous generations to buy a house in the United States in addition to general rental costs that have increased up to 46% compared to 1960 (para. 13-17). Despite these significant problems in the lives of individuals, educational costs have taken center stage in conversations about the general discontent of Millennials. The StudentLoanReview website explains that the cost of the semester in a university has doubled since the time of previous generations such as Baby Boomers (para.3). Some authors, such as Hoffower, claim that the costs of higher education increased 129% based on the cost of an undergraduate degree in a private school (para. 22). In fact, the Investopedia website estimates that in 2019 the total debt of a 1.41 trillion dollars which represents a progressive increase compared to previous years (para. 4). As a point of comparison, in previous generations an estimated 43% of Americans took student credits while currently about 54% of students need student credits to be able to finish their studies. 

 

Via Pexels

Although the situation facing Millennials economically is more complicated than their predecessors, they tend to be a more educated generation. A study conducted by Bialik and Fry (2019) states that in the Y or Millennials generation, 39% have a Bachelor Degree or higher compared to the Silent Generation (15%) or the X generation (29%). Hence, as the demography of this generation that has studied university is wider, the perspective on the importance and future of higher education is more diverse. On the one hand, authors such as Selingo (2016), many factors such as lack of information or education costs cause many students to abandon their studies which could lead to less educated generations. In his words, this could be solved with more exposure to the different work options so that the young person has opportunities to know the field beforehand before deciding what to study (para.13).

On the other spectrum of perspective, other studies indicate that the increasingly expensive cost of university education might be worth it. Dowling & Yahnke (n.d) conclude that according to the study of Bialik and Fry (2019) the payoff of a person with a university degree is much higher than that of a person with highschool diploma. Likewise, statistics show that the average salary of a university graduate in 2018 was valued at $ 105,000 annually in contrast to the average $ 49,000 annually earned by an individual with no higher education degree. With all this, pointing out a fixed perspective on higher education is complex since although the income of a university graduate is greater than that of a high school graduate, student credit and underemployment rate weigh on the arguments of those who point that maybe higher education and its costs need a reform to better adjust to current times. 

Via Pexels

Gen Z: Where is higher education heading? Final thoughts

At present, the role of the new generation is beginning to take on more importance in the field of higher education since the individuals of this generation are entering the college. Due to this, there is a divided perspective on what path this generation will take when starting this new stage. Although many young people are beginning college, it is considered that the Z generation has a clear memory of the examples provided by the Millennials. In this sense, Craig (2019) states that the university's affordability crisis, student loans and the underemployment problem that the previous generation has experienced has greatly adjusted the perspective of many on taking “Faster and cheaper pathways” (para. 5) in order to obtain a better opportunity in working life. Similarly, Jenkins (n.d) agrees with these reasons and adds another highly important “Sixty-one percent of Generation Z who are still in high school and 43 percent of Generation Z who are in college say they would rather be entrepreneurs than employees when they graduate” (para. 23). Therefore, all these factors could mean a significant decrease in university attendance however despite this, many authors point out that the Z generation, like its predecessor, consider education as a fundamental element in the formation of their goals. Meadows (2019) asserts that 80% generation Z’s young adults recognize the value of higher education against 20% who claims that it has no value or influence (para. 3). With this, we could infer that despite the obstacles, the Z generation is interested in continuing their education beyond high school. Thus with the evolution of education and technology, new alternatives have emerged to make education a little more accessible for new students, among them, the most prominent is online education. Etherington (2018), explains that online education is turning higher education into more affordable since among its benefits, it allows the student to eliminate certain costs such as housing or transportation, in addition to having the possibility of obtaining prestigious degrees at lower prices compared to the traditional education. This allows many students to continue to the next stage in their training.

With all this described, we could finally understand that with the changing times, the necessities, possibilities and responsibilities of individuals have slowly mutated to what they are today. In this sense, previous generations such as Baby Boomers firmly believed in education as the only means of having a better future and, in fact, statistics show that they were mostly right. However, in later generations such as the Millennial, raised in many cases by the Baby Boomers, the dream of higher education was even more alive but at a cost that was progressively escalating and that in addition to causing them debts, having a different economic situation In previous generations, they were faced with completely different challenges in the workplace. To conclude, higher education has also had to evolve to better fit these new dynamics along with a generation increasingly interested in learning more and changing forecasts. beyond affirming, we can only conjecture that it will happen in the future of higher education, however, it is possible to visualize how traditional education will be adjusted more to the needs of today in order to continue to remain valid in the dream of future generations.

Photo by Anna Shvets via Pexels

 

Reference:

Barron’s (2019). Here’s How Big the Boomer-Millennial Wealth Gap Is. Barron’s. Retrieved January 11th, 2020 from https://www.barrons.com/articles/heres-how-big-the-boomer-millennial-wealth-gap-is-51575586317

Bialik, K. & Fry, R. (2019). Millennial life: How young adulthood today compares with prior generations. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/millennial-life-how-young-adulthood-today-compares-with-prior-generations/

Britannica (2020). Hippie. Britannica.com Retrieved 20th January, 2020 from https://www.britannica.com/topic/hippie

Craig, R. (2019). Will a Bachelor’s Degree Matter as Much for Gen Z? Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/10/will-a-bachelors-degree-matter-as-much-for-gen-z

Dawling & Yahnke (n.d). Is a College Degree Worth the Price? The Latest Twist. DYWealth.com. Retrieved from https://www.dywealth.com/resources/blog/college-degree-worth-price-latest-twist

Dimock, M (2019). Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Pew Research Center. Retrieved 20th January, 2020 from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/

Etherington, C. (2018). Three Ways Online Education Is Making Higher Education More Affordable. ELearning Inside. Retrieved from https://news.elearninginside.com/three-ways-online-education-is-making-higher-education-more-affordable/

Hoffower, H. (2018). 7 ways life is more expensive today for American millennials than previous generations. Business Insider. Retrieved January 22nd, 2020 from https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-cost-of-living-compared-to-gen-x-baby-boomers-2018-5

Howe and Strauss (1991). Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069. William Morrow Publishers.

Jenkins, R (n.d). This Is Why Generation Z Will Skip College. RyanJenkins.com. Retrieved from https://blog.ryan-jenkins.com/this-is-why-generation-z-will-skip-college

Kasasa (2019). Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z Explained. Kasasa. Retrieved January 17th, 2020 from 1. https://www.kasasa.com/articles/generations/gen-x-gen-y-gen-z

Kumar, B (n.d). What is the importance of education to our society? Preserve Articles. Retrieved January 10th 2020 from http://www.preservearticles.com/sociology/what-is-the-importance-of-education-to-our-society/2570

Kurt, D. (2019). Student Loan Debt: 2019 Statistics and Outlook. Investopedia. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/student-loan-debt-2019-statistics-and-outlook-4772007

Loveless, B. (n.d). What Is So Important About Early Childhood Education? Education Corner. Retrieved January, 27th 2020 from https://www.educationcorner.com/importance-of-early-childhood-education.html

Lutz, J. (2017). The Underemployment Phenomenon No One Is Talking About. Forbes. Retrieved January 25th, 2020 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/payout/2017/07/21/the-underemployment-phenomenon-no-one-is-talking-about/#6e701da15a01

Malik, S. et al (2016). US millennials feel more working class than any other generation. The Guardian. Retrived January 24th, 2020 from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/15/us-millennials-feel-more-working-class-than-any-other-generation

Meadows, J. (2019). Millennials and Generation Z Favor Higher Education. Thrive Global. Retrieved from https://thriveglobal.com/stories/millennials-and-generation-z-favor-higher-education/

Nees, B. (2013). 10 Interesting Baby Boomer Facts and Stats. 55places.com. Retrieved January 10th, 2020 from https://www.55places.com/blog/10-interesting-baby-boomer-facts-stats

Patrinos, H. (2016). Why education matters for economic development. World Bank Blogs. Retrieved January 20th 2020 from http://blogs.worldbank.org/education/why-education-matters-economic-development

Ripley, A. (2018). Why Is College in America So Expensive? The Atlantic. Retrieved January, 17th 2020 from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/09/why-is-college-so-expensive-in-america/569884/

Rouse, M. (2019). Millennials (Generation Y). What is. Retrieved January 23th, 2020 from https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/millennials-millennial-generation

Selingo, J. (2016). Why Are So Many Millennials Dropping Out of College? LinkdIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-so-many-millennials-dropping-out-college-jeff-selingo/

Stahl, A. (2016). New Study Reveals That Millennial Underemployment Is On The Rise. Forbes. Retrieved January 6th, 2020 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2016/05/18/new-study-reveals-that-millennial-underemployment-is-on-the-rise/#28af47486e5f

Story, J. (2014). Why Are There Generational Cohorts? University of St. Thomas Houston. Retrieved January 5th, 2020 from https://blogs.stthom.edu/cameron/why-are-there-generational-cohorts/

Student Loan Review (n.d). College Affordability: Baby Boomers Vs. Millennials. StudentLoanReview.com. Retrieved January 16th, 2020 from https://www.studentloanreview.com/cost-of-college-now-and-then/

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic (2012). Labor market attachment of baby boomers by educational attainment. BLS. Retrieved January 12th, 2020 from https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2012/ted_20120807.htm

 Originally written to be part of my internship report 

As a requirement to opt to the Bachelors Degree in Modern Languages in the University of Los Andes

The issue of mental health has gained increasing relevance due to the important role it plays in a person both as an individual and as part of society; as well as the direct influence it has on their development and behavior within social systems such as work. In fact, Ginter et al (nd) state that stress in the work environment is quite common and it should not be neglected due to in many cases it can lead to consequences for mental health such as anxiety disorder and depression (para. 1 ) that could not only influence the emotional condition of the worker, but could also decrease the ability to concentrate on the activities and finally, reduce the productivity of the person. This supports the argument that a good mental state is something vital for the development of an individual in his/her professional life since it could enormously affect the performance of the person in the workplace. With this, depression currently represents a reality that many people have to deal with daily. In fact, in some environments depression tends to be more common than in others, among those, circumstances of political or economic tension tend to enhance more this type of underlying illness. As an exemplification, Rebecca Clay (2019) points to the current situation of Venezuela: “there’s a growing mental health crisis […] citing the frustration, stress, fear and despair brought on by insecurity, resource shortages and sociopolitical conflict.” (Para. 4). Thus as a marketing intern working remotely from home, here in Venezuela, I found myself as completely dependent on a non-reliable Internet connection along with the inherent disadvantages of living in the current Venezuelan context to be able to complete the assigned responsibilities of this position. With all this, the greatest difficulty to overcome during this challenging experience was not allowing aspects of underlying depression such as demotivation, difficulty of concentrating, frustration and surrounding obstacles define the quality of the work delivered. In addition, in this paper it will be taken into account the importance of taking care of mental health in the professional environment from the point of view of the experience of an intern.

Retrieved fro Pexels

Demotivation and communication in the workplace

Demotivation is commonly listed as an effect of depression; it is described as a lack of interest in daily activities, even when they were activities you used to enjoy doing. Similarly, the Exploring Your Mind website in its article “What's behind demotivation” (2016) compares the demotivation with the snowball effect since by stopping constantly doing the designated activities they accumulate to the point of being impossible to catch up. Thus, in the workplace, demotivation has an important consequence. In fact, Hedges (2014) states that “lack of satisfaction and motivation costs us billions in lost productivity.” Therefore, at present it would be naïve to claim that personal matters do not affect working life.

As an intern, having motivation is a vital factor when maintaining the productivity standard that oneselves, as professionals, need to meet the assigned goals. In my experience on many occasions, demotivation as a side effect of depression hindered my performance in the moment of contacting possible clients and writing persuasive, light and friendly emails to start communicating and building a rapport with them. In this matter, I spent a considerable amount of the time trying to characterize a light, dynamic and interactive personality that in reality was not present. In other words, this lack of motivation delayed my process of writing and producing more than expected. Hence, in my opinion it was mandatory to solve the problem of demotivation before it permanently affected the development and image portrayed as a professional.

Consequently after researching the issue of demotivation in the work environment, it showed that one of the most common reasons for this phenomenon in young professionals is due to lack of communication regarding the form in which things needed to be done. This, creating a sense of disconnection and confusion regarding what goals are expected to be achieved. In that sense, due to the online format of the internships I was performing, almost all correspondence with the institutional supervisor was via email. For this reason, the communication was not as constant as it would be in a face-to-face internship. This situation generated the constant impression of not being clear about the goals that were required for me to achieve in the short and long term, which resulted in general demotivation and uncertainty about the quality of the work I had been sending to my superiors. Therefore, personal objectives to achieve were implemented in order to solve this situation. Moreover, a schedule of more regular correspondence with my superiors was established for us, as a work team, to improve our communication. In other words, planning weekly activities and monitoring my progress were important steps to take in solving the issue. Besides, the organization of my schedule helped in noticing the real progress of my tasks. I could realize, in more tangible forms, the status of the goals I had set for myself as an intern. All this created a motivating environment in which I felt in control of my achievements and looked forward to surpassing my previous goals.

Retrieved from Pexels

Difficulty in concentrating in the online workplace

If the aspect of demotivation plays an important role as a side effect of depression, difficulty in concentrating also competes among these factors that make the difference between a more or less productive labor. In fact, depression causes constant and important changes in the brain of people who suffer from it. As Healthline (n.d), states:

“The volume of the hippocampus shrinks, which affects attention span. The neural circuits also function differently. Multiple untreated episodes of depression usually increase the severity of the symptoms. These changes in the brain make it harder to focus when you’re depressed.” (para. 4).

With this, it is unlikely that issues in concentrating would not be reflected in working life. Theobald (2013), explains that the difficulty in focusing on specific aspects of working life can lead to misunderstandings or reduction in the person's productivity. Thus, he argues that "Comprehending what you are reading may become difficult, resulting in missed information from written instructions" (para. 7). According to this last point, This represented an important challenge during my internships since the job required me to be constantly alert and willing to help and dissipate doubts of current and possible clients via email.

As an online intern, the learning process was assisted and supervised by my institutional advisor. Still, I was mostly responsible for fulfilling the assigned tasks at a very flexible timeline. This versatility in my schedule, in combination with the persistent attention problems, made daily responsibilities a difficult challenge to complete since, in my situation, quick activities took longer to fulfill. On many occasions, due to lack of concentration, my tasks were postponed or remade until there was little time left for the deadline. In terms of productivity and results this could be a long-term consequence, since finishing the assignments with urgency would leave me with no time to review calmly and avoid errors that would not be noticed at first glance as in the case of specific information and procedures I was not familiar with.

For this reason, it was important to find and implement strategies to combat the situation before it was noticed and reflected in my work. Thus, making daily lists, schedules of the activities and prioritizing the ones that needed to be accomplished more urgently over the ones that were set to be done in longer term helped me avoid getting distracted and delaying the tasks that were needed to work harder on. Similarly, maintaining a specific time and place setting of work was significant in order to be more focused on the projects. Moreover, although the format of internships was online and hence required me to be constantly connected to the internet, the act of avoiding any network and application on my devices that were not directly related to work ensured my productivity and concentration. This stated, in my opinion, organization and awareness of my problem were the decisive steps that made the difference between succeeding and failing on work.

Retrieved from Pexels

Frustration and palpable limits: my great challenge in productivity.

Finally, it is important to mention a challenge that is not only part of the life of a person with a disorder of depression but also part of many people in different situations, especially those who begin in the workplace: general frustration. Berger (2005) defines it as "is an emotion that occurs in situations where a person is blocked from reaching a desired outcome." (Para. 2). This "block" or impediment of accomplishing things as we wish or hoped on many occasions becomes a sensation of anger. In some cases, this emotion is considered to be a poorly understood and studied aspect of depression and frustration even as it is importantly reflected in many aspects of the person's life.

In my experience dealing with demotivation and difficulty concentrating as constant interference to a desired professional performance, frustration became a persistent emotion since there were inflated standards that I had set for myself regarding the result that should be achieved and the amount of time it would take. This situation, in my opinion, emerged as counterproductive sinceI would not try to acknowledge the factual progress and achievements. With this, frustration by the perspective of utopian results made it impossible to understand the real progress of my work and locate my strengths in order to take advantage of them. In this form, one could argue that not acknowledging accomplishments disregarded the main reason as to why the experience of participating in professional practices is important for a student: that real field work includes constant setbacks and as professionals, it is necessity to have the ability to adapt our skills and expectations to different and not always pleasant situations.

With this, the best strategy to change this reaction to unpleasant results was to adopt another perspective. As Kane (2018) advises, “The key takeaway here is to modify the perception of stress and frustration to promote the development of resilience, the ability to handle whatever comes your way in the most effective manner.” In this sense, this involves not only accepting personal results, but also modifying one’s perspective in order to see another angle of the situation and thus leave room for a more dynamic improvement that is focused on strengths and how to improve them and not on personal weaknesses as limits and obstacles. In other words, concentrating on the aspects and skills that I exceeded and could use to contribute to the growth of the company and workplace helped me in understanding the higher value of improving constantly.

Retrieved from Pexels

The importance of taking care of mental health in the professional environment: my conclusions

With all this stated, it is safe to say that today, mental health care is important for a healthy and satisfying professional development. Some environments tend to be more prone than others to develop mental health problems such as in environments of high stress, tension, among others. However, although by general belief disorders such as depression seem more personal than something that involves working life, they could represent a large percentage of productivity losses in companies at a general level and at an individual level in a significant decrease in quality of work of the person. However, from the perspective of the intern it may not be as covered as it should considering the importance and influence it has on their general performance. Thus, on many occasions it could be considered that there is no direct or coherent connection between professional life and personal mental health care yet there is scientific evidence that lean towards the perspective that not taking care of mental health is a serious mistake in different senses.

In my opinion and experience, if the precautions and care are not taken into account, the quality of the results provided and the first experience in the field of work significantly affected. Thus, early awareness of the tools to deal with the setbacks of professional life in an effective and healthy way can be extremely beneficial. Finally, taking into consideration my experience as an intern, I could express that the work environment involves more than applying the knowledge and tools obtained during the course of the degree. Work life entails a complex mixture between technical knowledge and self awareness in order to balance ourselves as professionals and as healthy individuals.

References

Ginter et al. (n.d). Prioritizing Your Mental Health at Work. LearnHowToBecome.org. Retrieved from https://www.learnhowtobecome.org/career-resource-center/mental-health-at-work/

Clay, R. (2019). Despair in Venezuela. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/venezuela

Exploring Your Mind (2016). What’s Behind Demotivation?. Retrieved from https://exploringyourmind.com/whats-behind-demotivation/

Healthline (n.d). MDD and Loss of Concentration. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/managing-major-depressive-disorder/mdd-and-loss-of-concentration#1

Berger, V. (2005). Frustration. Psychologist Anywhere Anytime. Retrieved from https://www.psychologistanywhereanytime.com/emotional_problems_psychologist/pyschologist_frustration.htm

Kane, S. (2018). My Best Ways to Deal with Frustration. PsychCentral. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/lib/my-best-ways-to-deal-with-frustration/

Theobald, M. (2013). Depression, Memory Loss, and Concentration. Everyday Health. Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/major-depression/depression-memory-loss-and-concentration/

Clive Staples Lewis fue un crítico y escritor de origen irlandés nacido en Belfast el 29 de noviembre de 1898. Descrito como un joven ateo, desde los quince años demostró un fuerte interés por la mitología griega y, posteriormente, por la mitología nórdica que ejercerían influencia en sus futuras obras. A los dieciocho años ingresa a la prestigiosa Universidad de Oxford, en la cual completa sus estudios, y allí ejerce como tutor y afiliado en el consejo de gobierno de esta institución entre los años 1925 y 1954.En 1936 escribe su primera obra, Alegorías del amor, un tratado en el que describe y analiza el tratamiento del tema del amor dentro de la literatura medieval. Esta obra podría considerarse como la que consolidó su prestigio en el ámbito académico. En 1931 ocurre un cambio en sus creencias religiosas: C. S Lewis decide “convertirse” al cristianismo. Esto fue motivado por la estrecha amistad que mantenía con el reconocido escritor británico John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, autor de El Señor De Los Anillos. A partir de este punto, C. Lewis comienza a publicar sus estudios religiosos, entre ellos destaca Cartas del diablo a su sobrino (1942) una obra satírica en la que un diablo le da instrucciones a su sobrino principiante sobre como corromper el alma humana. En 1950 publica El león, la bruja y el ropero, el primer libro de la serie de siete libros pertenecientes al género fantástico que podría considerarse la más reconocida obra de su carrera literaria: Las Crónicas de Narnia. Esta serie narra las aventuras de unos niños que por designios de Aslan, una figura mítica de la obra, tienen que ayudar a los habitantes de un reino ficticio llamado Narnia en tiempos de guerra. Esta obra está conformada por: El león, la bruja y el ropero (1950), El príncipe Caspian (1951), La travesía del Viajero del Alba (1952), La Silla de Plata (1953), El caballo y el muchacho (1954), El sobrino del mago (1955) y La última batalla (1956). 

C.S Lewis, desde Gettyimages

Las Crónicas de Narnia: La última batalla

En el libro final de la serie, La última batalla (2006), se expone un mundo apocalíptico en el que los protagonistas deben encontrar la forma de salvar a las personas que puedan y hacerlos recuperar su fe.

Durante la ausencia de Eustace y Jill ocurren muchas cosas: Tirian, el actual rey del país y descendiente de Caspian X, descubre que se gesta una conspiración en contra de los valores y creencias de los gobernantes y habitantes de Narnia. Un mono llamado Triquiñuela,víctima de la codicia,engaña a su amigo Puzzle, un asno honesto, para que vista una piel de león ajustada para su cuerpo con el fin de simular ser Aslan y así poder manipular a los narnianos a su antojo. Éstos, creyentes de que Aslan es quien los comanda, deciden rendirse ante los antiguos enemigos de Narnia: los calormenos, volviéndose así sus esclavos.

Al regresar a Narnia, Eustace y Jill se encuentran con un reino totalmente distinto. Gracias a las manipulaciones del mono,se han inculcado nuevas creencias en las mentes de los súbditos tales como que Aslan y el horrible dios Tash de los calormenos son la misma entidad. Esto impulsa a muchos narnianos a dejar de creer en la concepción de un Aslan real. En este último libro se relata la caída y muerte de Narnia, cómo las decisiones tomadas pueden impulsarlo hacia la luz de la vida eterna o la oscuridad del olvido.

De acuerdo a lo anterior, es posible preguntarnos lo siguiente: ¿Las acciones de los personajes se ven motivadas por creencias religiosas particulares?; ¿Cuál es el tratamiento dado a las creencias religiosas y filosóficas que coexisten en la obra?A través del análisis de algunos pasajes literarios presentes en el libro La última batalla (2006) de C. S. Lewis se pretende demostrar y analizar cómo en la obra la influencia cristiana del autor determina buena parte de la acción de la misma. De igual forma se intentará describir si el tratamiento ofrecido a otros personajes pertenecientes a otras culturas, creencias religiosas y filosóficas como el islamismo, la teoría de la evolución, ateísmo y otros movimientos presentes en el texto.

Las Crónicas de Narnia y lo fantástico

Dentro de esta investigación se tomarán en cuenta conceptos como la religión, teorías científicas como la evolución y el ateísmo. Pero, es preciso considerar un factor importante el hecho de ubicar de forma breve a la obra dentro de un género literario con el fin de contextualizar al lector sobre la forma en la que los elementos que se analizarán son presentados dentro de la obra. Tzvetan Todorov en su escrito Introducción a la literatura fantástica (1981) define lo fantástico como un estado entre lo real y lo extraño, en el que el lector necesariamente tiene que cumplir con una vacilación “entre una explicación natural y una explicación sobrenatural de los acontecimientos evocados.” (p 24). Esto puede reflejarse cuando en La última batalla, Eustace relata al rey Tirian la historia de cómo llegaron a Narnia con la finalidad de ayudarlo:

Así que subimos al tren, que es una cosa en la que la gente viaja en nuestro mundo: una serie de carros encadenados entre sí […] Bueno, pues ahí estábamos en el tren, y llegábamos ya a la estación donde se iban a reunir con nosotros […] cuando de improviso se produjo una sacudida y un ruido espantoso: y a continuación nos encontramos en Narnia. (Lewis, 2006, p.76)

A partir de esto, se pueden inferir dos explicaciones: una “natural” evocando a un accidente y estados de ensoñaciones debido al mismo y una “sobrenatural” tomando esa sacudida como acto de magia con lo cual se puede comprobar, de forma evidente, que esta obra se sitúa dentro del género fantástico.

Influencias del cristianismo y presencia de las mismas en la última batalla

Tomando en cuenta el aspecto religioso, la religión, según el Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (2014), es definida como “Conjunto de creencias o dogmas acerca de la divinidad, de sentimientos de veneración y temor hacia ella, de normas morales para la conducta individual y social y de prácticas rituales, principalmente la oración y el sacrificio para darle culto.”

Es necesario conocer este concepto pues como ha sido resaltado, la vida del autor C. S. Lewis se vio fuertemente influida por la religión cristiana. Este influjo posteriormente predominó en sus obras literarias.

Por otra parte, antes de analizar el texto es necesario aclarar la noción del cristianismo. Dicha noción es descrita por Brian Wilson en su libro Cristianismo (2001) como “la mayor tradición religiosa del mundo con 1.8 millones de fieles” (p.19), el cristianismo se puede definir como una religión monoteísta que fue pronunciada como dogma oficialmente en el año 384 d.c. por el Imperio romano (p.8). De acuerdo con Manuel Guerra en su libro Historia de las Religiones (1999), en la actualidad tiene muchas derivaciones pero sus rasgos comunes son principalmente tres: el monoteísmo trinitario (La Santísima Trinidad: Padre, Hijo y Espíritu Santo), creer en Jesús de Nazaret y tomar al bautizo como método de integración a la iglesia cristiana. (p.333). En el cristianismo, se tiene la firme creencia en un dios benevolente y celoso que no permite idolatría alguna hacia otros dioses por parte de sus creyentes.

De acuerdo a esto, se puede inferir a lo largo de la heptalogía de libros que quien asume el rol de divinidad es Aslan, el león todopoderoso. En El sobrino del mago (1955) y El príncipe Caspian (1951) pueden apreciarse claras alusiones a esto, pero en La última batalla se puede encontrar quizás la más evidente (tal vez a manera de conclusión de los libros) referencia a Aslan como representación de la deidad cristiana dentro de las obras. Esto sucede finalizando el relato, cuando finalmente los héroes se encuentran en la ansiada “Tierra de Aslan”:

La última línea indirectamente sugiere al lector que Aslan reveló a los protagonistas finalmente su verdadera forma de deidad, presumiblemente la figura de Cristo.

El islamismo y la figura del dios pagano “Tash”

Una vez evidenciada la influencia del cristianismo presente dentro de la obra, se puede reemprender una de las preguntas implícitas dentro de esta investigación: ¿Están siendo tratados con menosprecio las otras creencias que interactúan dentro del escrito? En este apartado será desarrollado el tratamiento ofrecido al islamismo en el libro.

Según Guerra (1999), el islam es una religión monoteísta cuya deidad es el dios Alá (Allah, en su idioma original). Poseen cinco obligaciones ético-religiosas o también denominadas “pilares islámicos”: la profesión de fe (el equivalente al bautismo en el cristianismo), la recitación de la oración canónica, la limosna (un impuesto sobre la mercadería destinado a los pobres y necesitados), el ayuno y la peregrinación a La Meca.

En La última batalla, los seguidores del islam son representados por el pueblo calormeno, provenientes de la calurosa y árida tierra de Calormen (una posible referencia al Medio Oriente), siempre rudos, morenos, crueles y malvados. En La última batalla (2006) los habitantes de esta tierra tienen un papel antagónico y junto al mono, Triquiñuela, forjan una alianza para manipular a los narnianos y volverlos esclavos.

La figura de Alá es encarnada por Tash, descrito en el libro como un ser malévolo, color gris, transparente y con olor a muerte.

Tenía más o menos la forma de un hombre, pero con la cabeza de un pájaro; un pájaro de presa con un pico curvo y muy afilado. Tenía cuatro brazos que sostenía muy por encima de la cabeza […] y los dedos ⎯los veinte⎯ eran curvos como el pico y mostraban largas zarpas afiladas. […] Flotaba sobre la hierba en vez de andar, y la hierba parecía marchitarse a su paso. (Lewis, 2006, p.119)

Este pasaje discurre mientras los héroes tratan de resguardarse después de un infructuoso ataque al establo donde se encontraba el mono, al ver a esta criatura lo identifican como Tash y declaran que ha venido por invocación a acabar con Narnia.

Un aspecto resaltante sobre la representación de Tash es el atributo que se agrega a su nombre en la obra, pues de acuerdo con Guerrero (1999) “A Alá se le aplica […] como al dios cristiano, todos los atributos, ya negándole todas las imperfecciones, […] ya atribuyéndole todas las perfecciones pero en grado sumo ‘omnipotente, eterno, clemente’” (p. 280) Mientras que el que usan los calormenos para referirse a su dios es “Tash, el inexorable.”Esta palabra definida por el Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (2014) como algo que “no se puede detener” o en su segunda acepción como “que no se deja vencer con ruegos.” Y esto, teniendo en cuenta el contraste entre el atributo otorgado a Alá en el islamismo e inclusive los honoríficos concedidos a Aslan en la obra, evidencia el tratamiento despectivo dispensado hacia esta figura religiosa. Todo esto hace que, en resultado, el atributo del dios Tash posea una connotación negativa para el lector.En adición, los protagonistas y Aslan en varios pasajes del escrito al referirse a Tash lo aluden como un “demonio” confirmando, finalmente, el tratamiento despectivo que recibe el islam en la obra, aclarado a profundidad por Aslan:

Somos opuestos… Tomo para mí los servicios que le has prestado. Pues él y yo somos tan diferentes que ningún servicio que sea infame puede ofrecérseme a mí y ninguno que no lo sea puede prestársele a él. Por lo tanto, si alguien jura por Tash y mantiene su juramento cueste lo que cueste, es en mi nombre por el que ha jurado en realidad, aunque no lo sepa, y yo soy quien se lo recompensa. Y si alguien lleva a cabo una crueldad en mi nombre, entonces, aunque pronuncie el nombre de Aslan, es a Tash a quien sirve y es Tash quien acepta su acción. (p. 235-236)

Triquiñuela: una alusión a la Teoría de la evolución

Triquiñuela, el mono, es el personaje antagónico de La última batalla y el único narniano durante todos los libros. Es detallado como “el mono más listo, feo y arrugado que puedan imaginarse.” (Lewis, 2006, p. 7), representa la depravación moral. Entre los denominados pecados capitales del cristianismo, se puede señalar lo que él ostenta: la gula, la avaricia, la pereza, la ira, la soberbia y la envidia.

Aunque todas esas características que posee Triquiñuelas (Shift en inglés) y el significado de su nombre lo convierten en un ser infame, desde la perspectiva del lector, se halla un aspecto aún más sobresaliente sobre este personaje. El hecho de que haya sido creado con la figura de un mono suscita conjeturas ya que no se puede suponer que sea esto por mera casualidad. Estas sospechas se afianzan al analizar un pasaje del libro en el que Triquiñuela dice:

⎯Y ahora hay otra cosa que debéis de aprender⎯siguió el mono⎯. He oído que algunos de vosotros vais diciendo que soy un mono. Bueno, pues no lo soy. Soy un hombre, si tengo aspecto de mono es porque soy muy viejo: tengo cientos y cientos de años. Y debido a que soy tan viejo, soy muy sabio. Y debido a que soy tan sabio, soy el único a quien Aslan va a hablar jamás. (Lewis, 2006, p. 47)

A partir de esto, se puede analizar este discurso en diferentes partes:

Primeramente, en la sección que enuncia “He oído que algunos de vosotros vais diciendo que soy un mono. Bueno, pues no lo soy.” Alude directamente a la teoría postulada por Charles Darwin en su libro El Origen de las especies (1859) en el que, entre otras hipótesis, postula la teoría de que el ser humano y el mono descienden de una rama común en un pasado remoto; por eso, segundamente, Triquiñuelas también manifiesta: “si tengo aspecto de mono es porque soy muy viejo: tengo cientos y cientos de años.” Cabe destacar que esta teoría ha creado controversias y debates que continúan aún en la actualidad, por un lado se encuentran los defensores de este postulado y por otro los oponentes, quienes defienden a la teoría creacionista.

Por otro lado, cuando leemos “Y debido a que soy tan sabio, soy el único a quien Aslan va a hablar jamás.” Puede referirse al hecho de que este postulado de Darwin (y la ciencia en general) es considerado por muchos como un factor que está alejando a las personas de la fe religiosa y es altamente defendido por las personas creyentes de la doctrina atea.

Los enanos son para los enanos: el ateísmo dentro de la obra

Guerra (1999) describe, por un lado, el ateísmo como:

Una palabra omnipresente en nuestro campo, […] acentúa la actitud radical de desconocimiento desinteresado por Dios y lo religioso…. (p. 379)

Por otro lado, Michael Martin en su libro Introducción al ateísmo (2010), define al ateísmo como:

Aquella creencia según la cual Dios no existe. […] Sin embargo no es un significado exacto si partimos de las raíces etimológicas en griego. En griego, «a» significa «sin» o «no» y «theos» significa «Dios». Por lo tanto, desde este punto de vista, un ateo es alguien que carece de fe en Dios, lo que no implica necesariamente que ese alguien niegue la existencia de Dios. (p. 19-20)

No es de sorprender que estos dos conceptos contrasten, ya que provienen de fuentes totalmente opuestas. Uno de un libro de introducción a la teología y otro que estudia las nuevas ramas que ha adoptado el ateísmo. Es bastante común observar este choque de opiniones en libros de ámbito religioso por lo que no toma por asombro encontrar referencias sobre el ateísmo dentro de La última batalla. Estas alusiones se encuentran presentes en los personajes de los enanos, controversiales por haber estado en un principio a favor de la primera enemiga de Narnia, la bruja blanca en El león, la bruja y el ropero (1950).

En La última batalla (2006), los enanos engañados por las manipulaciones del mono Triquiñuela y los calormenos, son sometidos y casi enviados a las minas para ser esclavos. Gracias a que el rey Tirian y sus amigos son rescatados, y ellos que ya tenían en su posesión a un muy afligido y arrepentido Puzzle deciden detallarles la verdad: habían sido timados por el mono. Los protagonistas de la historia pretenden tenerlos como aliados una vez liberados pero la reacción de los enanos no es la que ellos esperaban: una vez que Tirian les pide unirse a su causa ellos les responden:

⎯Vaya⎯dijo el enano negro⎯, no sé cómo os sentís vosotros, amigos, pero a mí me parece que ya he oído todo lo que quiero oír sobre Aslan durante el resto de mi vida.

⎯Es verdad, es verdad⎯gruñeron los otros enanos⎯. Es todo una treta, una maldita treta.

⎯ […] Ya nos han embaucado una vez y ahora esperas que nos dejemos embaucar una vez más, no vamos a aguantar ningún otro cuento más sobre Aslan […] ya nos engañaron una vez y no van a engañarnos de nuevo. (Lewis, 2006, p. 106-107).

Y a partir de eso se suscita una rebelión en contra de los reyes y de Aslan, ellos afirmando que ya no desean más reyes ni más “Aslanes.” Concluyen diciendo “Se acabó Aslan, se acabaron los reyes, se acabaron las historias estúpidas sobre otros mundos. Los enanos son para los enanos.” (Lewis, 2006, p. 89) Y se marchan renunciando así a toda fe.

Claramente se puede interpretar como una advertencia sobre el carácter arduo de “las pruebas destinadas a la fe” y podría terminar allí el análisis pero estos personajes renegados se presentan en otros dos puntos resaltantes de la historia que se procederán a analizar a continuación.

El pueblo enano vuelve a aparecer en el clímax de la historia: la batalla frente al establo del mono. Donde Tirian, Eustace, Jill y sus aliados batallan por su vida contra los calormenos mientras que los habitantes de Calormen intentan empujarlos dentro del establo para ser sacrificados ya que sospechan que el dios Tash se encuentra en el interior del mismo y quieren que sus ofensas sean perdonadas. Gracias a los perros, los protagonistas obtienen refuerzos y cuando vislumbran la esperanza de ser los ganadores de la batalla, los enanos hacen su aparición y asesinan tanto calormenos como narnianos con el argumento de que “los enanos son para los enanos” y no desean más gobernantes. Finalmente, los enanos son atados y enviados a la fuerza al establo por los calormenos para enfrentarse a un futuro poco ameno.

El último pasaje en el que aparecen estos contradictorios personajes es en un reflexivo final, en el que se encuentran en El País de Aslan pero no pueden percibirlo, a través de sus ojos ellos se encuentran encerrados y atados dentro del oscuro establo. E hiciesen lo que hiciesen no les era posible cambiar esa percepción. Llorando, los protagonistas piden clemencia a Aslan pero éste les responde con tristeza que le es imposible hacer algo por ellos ya que decidieron adoptar “la malicia en lugar de la fe” (p. 212). Y así la alegoría sobre la falta de fe como motivo de sufrimiento, es decir, sobre cómo es un impedimento hacia la entrada de lo concebido como “paraíso” o “País de Aslan”, finaliza con los enanos diciendo: “Al menos no nos han engañado. No hemos dejado que nadie nos tome el pelo. Los enanos son para los enanos.” (p. 212).

Conclusión

El escritor C. S. Lewis en su libro La última batalla (2006) deja entrever a través del análisis minucioso de su obra, fuertes influencias religiosas dentro de la trama del texto. Éstas, de hecho, dictaminan gran parte de la historia.

De acuerdo con lo analizado en la extensión de esta investigación, fue posible demostrar que existen muchas alusiones a otras creencias religiosas y filosóficas en la estructura profunda del texto, todas al ser contrarias al dogma cristiano obtienen un tratamiento diferente y mayormente negativo dentro de la trama. Casi se puede afirmar con toda certeza que la doctrina cristiana C. S. Lewis que seguía en su vida personal influyó en la creación de los personajes de las Crónicas de Narnia y sus acciones dentro del argumento.

Referencias

Darwin, C. (1859). El origen de las especies. (1era ed.) Madrid: Ediciones 74.

Guerra, M. (1999). Historia de las religiones. (1era ed.) Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos.

Lewis, C. (2006). La última batalla. (1era ed.) Barcelona, España: Planeta SA.

Martin, M. (2010). Introducción al ateísmo. (1era ed.) Madrid: Ediciones Akal.

Real Academia Española. (2014). Diccionario de la lengua española (23.a ed.). Madrid,España:Autor.

Todorov, T. (1981). Introducción a la literatura fantástica. (2da ed.) D.F: Premia.

Wilson, B. (2001). Cristianismo. (1era ed.) Madrid: Ediciones Akal.