In this memoir Peter Dwyer reflects on the events and decisions that have shaped his life, comparing them to the experiences of a new generation of young Australians. He says “ What I have learnt from them has helped me to get my own life into perspective. It has also made me realise how people of my own generation tend to perpetuate an oversimplified view of what adulthood is really like. We too have been on a journey and in our own way we have been through a process of learning and change also. More importantly, for most of us the learning never stops.” As he retraces his steps, he realises that “there are very clear similarities between what adulthood means to younger adults and what it still is for someone like me, who belongs to a much older generation. There are differences of course; there is no denying that the world has changed dramatically since my youth. Nevertheless, the uncertainties confronting the young today are not unique to their generation; they are much more part of our common human experience than many of us are yet willing to admit.” Exploring that common experience across the generations makes him feel that he is “continually going both backwards and forwards in time” as he tries to make sense of “a lifetime journey that even in retirement still has mysteries in store.”
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