The Greatest Generation endured the Great Depression and World War II, leaving behind a powerful legacy of commitment, integrity and responsibility. This is a brief account of a major reason why it has been squandered by succeeding generations. (Written in the ‘90’s, baby boomers are today’s seniors.)
A LEGACY SQUANDERED
Lessons learned are too often forgotten.
The world of our parents’ generation was one of turmoil; one in which society’s past mistakes and neglect had returned to haunt them. The ordeals of their youth encompassed the hardships of the Great Depression, fortunate if they were among those who had parents able to provide their family’s most basic needs. Final relief from the massive economic malaise came only with the onset of World War II, the deadliest of all human conflicts, replete with stress and sacrifice on the home front and the loss of family and friends abroad. Then, with peace, came prosperity and the promise of a new and better world; a world of seemingly unlimited opportunity for the children they were now producing in record numbers: the generation we know as the baby boomers.
Reflections
So, now that we of the baby boom generation have reached middle age and made our mark, isn’t time to reflect on where we’ve come from as a society and which path we’ve chosen for the future? Has the great promise been fulfilled? Certainly, there have been monumental achievements in the fields of science, technology and the arts. But what about the social and ethical awareness we inherited from our parents and the causes we espoused in our youth? At this, we’ve fallen noticeably short. And as parents too we must ask questions, for the ensuing generations as a group appear to be devoid of the social consciousness, moral awareness and creative depth that defined those preceding.
Concept of universal inclusion
But where did this social conscience originate? Throughout history there have been those voices from the darkness, raised in the quest for social justice and equality. Real advancement however, came well after the original voices had been silenced, during FDR’s New Deal, when the expressions were heard and real progress effected. That was in the pits of the Depression, when people finally acknowledged that society does not merely consist of self‑interested individuals or groups, but should be a cohesive unit in its entirety, working for the common good. With this inkling of the perception of universal inclusion arose a burst of creativity in all fields, among all classes of society.
Our world
This was the world of our parents and grandparents and these were the concepts that they ingrained within us. It was during our early years when the New Deal ideals expanded to include minorities and women. And we did our part because, in our youthful exuberance, we believed and had the desire to contribute. After all, these were the truths that we were brought up to hold most dear and the truths that appeared to be dominant in our society. And these were the truths displayed, for the most part, by our government.
The end of progress
Then came the great debacle in Viet Nam. True to our ideals, we rallied against the injustices perpetrated in what we conceived as a totally unjust war; one in which our boys were being sent to suffer and die for no perceivable reason. This was our cause and we took it in our own direction, rejecting our parents as being out of touch. As time passed old alliances eroded and those formerly united in the fight for social justice split on their methods; some, in the forefront, becoming too radical and violent for even the most fervent believers. Although we didn’t realize it until too late, this split signaled the end of the New Deal, with all its promise being slowly, but very surely, eroded with the passage of time. If not for those conflicts at home and abroad, our society might have continued to evolve as a civilization. Instead, we rebelled and ultimately regressed. To be sure, the New Deal was the greatest casualty of that silly, little war, sounding its death throes then and there, in the jungles of Southeast Asia.
Our legacy?
So, as we forged ahead into the future, the old coalitions were broken and, with the former leadership aging and their credibility tarnished, we began to move in a different direction. The ordeals of our parents were not our own and the ideals they cherished not as profoundly heartfelt. Without that inner fortitude to persevere, we’ve allowed ourselves to stray from their path and forsaken their legacy. As we’ve settled into adulthood, our priorities have changed and earlier causes have become the ghosts of yesterday. Today, we have returned to the concept of “every person (or interest group) for themselves”. Of course, we still mouth the ideas in our political correctness, but that is merely a shallow display lacking in substance. It is a legacy of callousness and neglect that we are leaving to our children; with it, a diminished level of ethics and of creative accomplishment.
Yes, there are still voices of reason out there, crying out for ethical behavior and social progress but they have once again been relegated to the shadows. And that is where it appears they will remain until the next major cataclysm forces us to work together for common cause…or destroy our society altogether.
1998
A NEW START?
It’s gratifying to see people once again rise up to the common cause of equal justice. Now in our seniority, will baby boomers see a new generation pick up the baton that we dropped so long ago?
Are today’s crises the catalyst?
It has taken a long journey backwards colliding with major calamities that have created the atmosphere for upheaval and change as the political correctness of our language is betrayed by the reality before us. The murder of people of color by those who would enforce the law, a pandemic that restricts most from everyday routines and a self-centered child-like president who espouses hate and rejects science as well as the social media that spreads the word and provides motivation. But there are questions that can only be answered with the passage of time. Will this movement last beyond Donald Trump and the pandemic? Will the same mistakes be made as those in the ‘60’s?
A new movement
There is promise with a new progressive movement gaining ground. Each succeeding generation since the baby boomers has fared worse than the one prior as distribution of wealth has tilted drastically toward the top leaving so many behind. Unlike the false start with the Occupy Wall Street Movement, there is a cohesive goal and evolving leadership.
Mistakes can’t be repeated
For this movement to thrive and ultimately succeed there must be care taken to learn from rather than repeat the mistakes of yesterday. Success was manifest by peaceful protest, cooperation and the camaraderie among participants. American journalistic integrity had peaked prior to the massive corporate takeovers permitted by deregulating the industry and the elimination of the equal time doctrine. News is now tempered by corporate interests, with some media propounding outright lies without rebuttal or consequence. The theme on which our leadership then acted was tilted toward greater empowerment and entitlements for the people of our nation. It was violence that killed the movement, from the assassinations to the riots, to the anger and the hate that alienated so many who believed and walked away retreating into complacency, allowing the nation to slowly sink into the abomination of today’s dysfunction.
Dedication
In order for the movement to succeed, those who participate must be dedicated to carry on beyond Trump to conquer the two pandemics; the raging virus that infects our bodies and the fear and hate that infects our minds and souls. We can’t let ourselves forget that Richard Nixon won on a “law and order” platform due to the violence of the ‘60’s. Confrontation and violence only polarizes, defeating the mission.
Never again!
Ultimately, people on all sides must be reconciled and educated. Most importantly, to be truly effective, the movement expanded to create total justice for all, including equality of opportunity, regulations to reign in corporations and their leadership and pick up the once promised war on poverty, a victim of the Viet Nam debacle and degeneration into violence. And the news media must be independent and accountable.
As generations pass, people so quickly forget the lessons learned through times of strife and the hard fought battles to overcome. We should all wire it into our brains and of those who succeed us, “Never again!”
10/2020
The most important questions one can ask are why and how.
