From 9/11 to Today: Why Gen Z Reminds Me of Our Elders
September 11, 2025
Hi friends,
Today my thoughts keep circling back to September 11, 2001. Many of us older generations remember that day as a turning point. We woke up in one world and went to bed in another.
I once met a mom who gave birth on 9/11. She told me, “I had a heck of a time bonding with my baby. The doctors, nurses—even I—were glued to the TV monitors.” That’s not the way anyone intends to welcome a child into the world. And yet, in some ways, it captures what Gen Z has lived: a childhood shadowed by crisis.
Unlike Boomers, Gen X, or Millennials, Gen Z has no memory of a “before.” Their youth has been marked by recession, school shootings, the opioid epidemic, social media overload, climate anxiety, political upheaval—and, of course, Covid.
This spring, comedian Steve Carell reminded Northwestern graduates: “You’ve experienced a lifetime of hardships by the time you’ve graduated.” Sit with that for a moment.
And yet—what fascinates me is that Gen Z often has more in common with their Traditionalist great-grandparents (born 1925–1945) than with the three generations in between. Both generations came of age in unstable times. Both value frugality, security, and stability. Both look for ways to steady themselves when the world feels shaky.
I’ll never forget the Gen Z employee who came up to me after a session and said: “No wonder my mom keeps calling Grandma.” Suddenly, that connection across generations clicked for her.
I recently saw the same pattern in an unexpected place: a Catholic community where younger Sisters wanted to reclaim older traditions. Their midlife peers worried that this was “going backwards.” But the 20-somethings and the 80-somethings? They shared a deep appreciation for the grounding power of tradition.
Maybe Gen Z isn’t racing toward the future as much as calling a time-out. Maybe they’re asking all of us to pause, reflect, and reckon with where we’ve been before we decide where we’re going.
Here’s the invitation for older generations:
Stay relevant by listening. Notice what young people are reaching back for, and ask why.
Acknowledge our role in the turbulence they’ve inherited. It takes humility to admit we didn’t always keep them safe.
Join them in building a future that prizes stability, belonging, and resilience over speed.
I don’t believe Gen Z is a broken generation. Quite the opposite. They may very well become our next “Greatest Generation.” The question is: will we recognize the lessons they’re teaching us—and help them grow into the leaders we need?
With hope,
Mary