Growing up in the 60s and 70s meant learning lessons from a world that felt freer, rougher, and more hands-on. These 10 insights shaped an entire generation in ways younger people rarely experience today.
Every generation loves to believe they had it harder. Or better. Or more meaningful.
People who grew up in the 60s and 70s are often labeled as nostalgic, out of touch, or resistant to change. But if you look past the stereotypes, there are some genuinely solid life lessons that came from that era.
Lessons that did not come from podcasts, productivity apps, or self-help books. They came from limits, boredom, and real-world consequences.
I did not grow up during that time. I grew up with tech, trends, and constant stimulation. But after years in hospitality, talking to older chefs, restaurateurs, and mentors, patterns start to show up. Certain ways of thinking that feel surprisingly rare today.
Here are ten of them.
1) Boredom isn’t something to escape
If you grew up in the 60s or 70s, boredom was not a crisis. It was just part of the day.
There were no phones to reach for. No endless feeds. No instant entertainment on demand.
People figured things out. They daydreamed. They built things. They talked. They invented games. They got creative because there was nothing else to do.
Today, boredom feels almost unbearable. Standing in line for a minute without checking your phone feels wrong.
But boredom is where curiosity starts. It is where ideas sneak in.
Some of my clearest thinking happens when I am doing nothing. Walking without headphones. Sitting with a coffee and no plan. Cooking slowly without rushing to the next task.
Older generations did not try to eliminate boredom. They lived with it. And that gave their minds space to wander.
2) You don’t need endless choices to be happy
Menus used to be simpler. Life did too.
You did not need a hundred options to enjoy a meal or feel satisfied with a decision. You picked from what was available.
Careers followed a similar pattern. Fewer paths. Fewer templates. Less comparison.
Today, we are surrounded by choices and quietly stressed about choosing the wrong one. The best job. The best city. The best diet. The best lifestyle.
More options have not made us calmer. They have made us hesitant.
People from earlier generations chose something and committed to it. Not because it was perfect, but because commitment mattered more than optimization.
There is a quiet peace in that mindset.
3) Face-to-face skills actually matter
Before texting and emails, you had to talk to people.
If you wanted something, you showed up or picked up the phone. If there was tension, you addressed it directly. If you were interested in someone, you said it out loud.
Working in luxury hospitality taught me how powerful this is. You cannot hide behind a screen when you are dealing with people face to face. Tone matters. Timing matters. Body language matters.
People who grew up in the 60s and 70s learned social skills through repetition. Not theory.
Those skills show up everywhere. In careers. In relationships. In conflict.
No shortcut replaces them.
4) Work isn’t supposed to love you back
This one feels uncomfortable, but it matters.
Many people from older generations did not expect work to fulfill them emotionally. Work was a way to contribute, provide stability, and build something tangible.
Meaning came from more than one place. Family. Community. Craft. Personal interests.
Today, we often expect our jobs to be our passion, identity, and purpose. When that does not happen, burnout follows fast.
Some of the happiest older professionals I know respected their work without romanticizing it. They showed up. Did the job well. Then went home.
Ironically, that distance often led to more sustainable careers.
Enjoying your work is important. Needing it to complete you is exhausting.
5) Food is about nourishment first, trends second
Food culture used to be simpler.
There were fewer labels, fewer rules, and fewer trends telling you what eating should say about you.
People cooked at home. They ate what was available. Meals were shared at tables, not consumed while scrolling.
Working in kitchens taught me how grounding this mindset is. Respect the ingredient. Cook it properly. Do not overcomplicate it.
Today, food is often treated like an identity statement. Optimized. Moralized. Performed.
Older generations did not define themselves by what they ate. They just ate.
And meals felt more connected because of it.
6) You learn by doing, not consuming
Information was limited back then. If you wanted to learn something, you practiced it.
You did not watch hours of content about a skill. You tried it. You failed. You adjusted.
There is a difference between knowing something and being able to do it.
Today, it is easy to confuse consumption with progress. Reading, watching, saving, and bookmarking feels productive.
People who grew up earlier learned through repetition and feedback. Mistakes were part of the process.
Confidence came from experience, not information.
At some point, you have to stop researching and start doing.
7) Privacy is valuable
Growing up without social media meant your mistakes were not permanent.
You could fail quietly. Change directions. Grow without announcing it.
That kind of privacy makes risk-taking safer. You are more willing to try when you are not performing for an audience.
Today, everything feels public. Even personal growth becomes content.
People from older generations did not curate identities. They lived them.
There is freedom in doing things without documenting them.
8) You don’t need to monetize everything
Hobbies used to stay hobbies.
You could enjoy cooking, building, writing, or traveling without turning it into a side hustle or brand.
That separation protects joy.
When everything becomes monetized, pressure replaces play. Creativity turns into obligation.
Some of the most content people I know still do things purely for enjoyment. No audience. No metrics. No strategy.
Older generations normalized that balance.
Not everything needs to make money.
9) Community isn’t optional
People were more rooted in physical communities.
Neighbors knew each other. Local shops mattered. You interacted with people who did not think like you.
That exposure builds patience and resilience. You learn how to coexist without cutting people off.
Today, community is often curated. We choose comfort and call it alignment.
But real community is imperfect and sometimes inconvenient.
Older generations depended on it, and because of that, they were less isolated.
Connection was not a goal. It was a given.
10) Life doesn’t need to be optimized to be meaningful
Finally, this might be the biggest lesson.
Life in the 60s and 70s was not constantly optimized. There were fewer systems, trackers, and frameworks.
People were not measuring everything. They were living.
Progress was slower. Growth was uneven. Meaning came from consistency, not constant improvement.
I enjoy self-development, but this lesson keeps me grounded. Growth matters, but obsession with growth can steal presence.
Sometimes a good meal, an unplanned conversation, or a quiet afternoon is enough.
Not every moment needs to be productive.
The bottom line
Every generation gains something and loses something.
Younger generations have access, awareness, and opportunity that previous ones never had. But we also lost some steady, grounded wisdom along the way.
The people who grew up in the 60s and 70s learned how to live with discomfort. Commit without certainty. Build skills slowly. And find meaning without broadcasting it.
We do not need to go backward.
But borrowing a few of these lessons might make moving forward a lot healthier.
If nothing else, maybe we can put the phone down during dinner, cook something simple, and let boredom do its job.
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