[daniel-thompson]

I mean, it _could_ be the job. But a lot of older doctors feel like the younger generation needs to go through the same struggles and hardships they did. This reminds me of something I occasionally see in my parenting of my kids - the desire I have for my kids to do things that validate _my own_ childhood experience.

[kelseyfrog]

This line of reasoning is very common. "If young people don't have to endure the same suffering I did then my suffering doesn't mean anything." It comes up in student loan forgiveness, predatory work environments, and many more. Arresting intergenerational harm would admit that ones own suffering was pointless and that isn't something people can deal with accepting. It's a group coping mechanism, which serves a purpose, but also comes with downsides.

[nradov]

I agree with the general principle, but student loan forgiveness is in a completely different category. When a loan is forgiven that's not just free money from the government, it increases the national debt which impacts all citizens. I sympathize with those who made unwise choices as youths to take on excessive student debt. But I sympathize more with working-class people who never took out student loans and instead got a job or enlisted in the military. Why should they now pay for the mistakes of college students who partied for 4+ years in college majors with no earning potential?

Student loan forgiveness also creates a moral hazard. Every future generation of students will then expect that they can take out unlimited loans and if things don't work out then no worries, the debt will just magically vanish.

[gramie]

Not saying that this applies to your own situation, but this sounds like "my parents smacked me around when I was bad, and I turned out okay".