Control-Z? That's right. It's another phase in the computer-ization of our language and our lives. You know what I am referring to: that beautiful little key-stroke that lets you undo as many moves as you'd like on your computer. The new-borns of the 1980s and '90s have been called everything from Generation Y, to the Echo Boomers to the Digital or Net Generation. But I believe they bear a stronger resemblance to their fellow '80s child, the Microsoft Office family of products, than they do to their slightly younger amigo, the World Wide Web.

"Generation Control-Z." We have grown up in a world where the undo button indeed exists in every facet of life. Get shot in your favorite video game? That's ok -- hit the reset button. Don't like that sweater you bought last week? That's ok -- you have 30 days to return it, no questions asked. Regret getting that tattoo last year? That's ok -- you can now get it removed with laser treatments. Running late for a commitment? That's ok -- you can use your cell phone to indicate your tardiness. Didn't do so well on that SAT test? That's ok -- you have lots of chances to retake it.

These rather harmless examples migrate easily to more fundamental decisions in life. About to have unprotected sex? That's ok -- you can pop a "morning after" pill and undo that decision. About to marry someone you are not 100% sure about? That's ok -- divorce has become one of the most widely used control-Z options in the country. About to take a job you don't like too much? That's ok -- you can always just quit and look for another job; the notion of a long-term career has become practically obsolete anyway. About to purchase something way beyond your budget? That's ok -- just declare personal bankruptcy, another popular control-Z option.

What am I getting at? The fact that for today's youth, it is no longer imperative to carefully think through the consequences of every decision because they are so used to an undo button. This generation is 57 million members strong, and like every generation before them, the Control Zers will one day be the leaders of this country.

The country -- and more relevantly the world -- that this generation will inherit, however, is one in which the larger processes that we have set in motion are becoming less reversible. The social, economic, and environmental forces of our time -- the democracy crusade in the Middle East, the increasingly global nature of our businesses and labor pool, global health threats like SARS and global warming -- seem unlikely candidates for a quick turn-around. As global society becomes increasingly interconnected, we lose our ability to put up firebreaks. And our obsession with explosive growth -- think viral marketing, viral videos, and viral emails -- only increases the undoable nature of our behavior.

Ultimately, then, all these personal undos - the morning after pill, the bankruptcy rate and the planned obsolescence of the career - might just be reactions to the growing number of societal can't-slow-downs and can't-go-backs that we have to face.

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