And the fallout from the election results continues. Protests, ugly social media posts, squabbles, frustration, and fights. Funny, we thought it would all be over last Wednesday, when in fact it was just getting started in a whole new way.
I've heard a lot of accusations being hurled, mostly at the millennials who seem to be at the forefront of this surge. Words like crybaby, spoiled, and entitled are being hurled about as we lambast them for their immaturity and disrespect for a system that's been around since the founding of this country. It's ridiculous, we say. Who do they think they are? What's their problem? Where was all of this energy last Tuesday, where it would have made a difference?
I'll agree on that last point. Certainly, they should have made their voices heard when it really counted on Election Day. However, I believe we're jumping to age-old stereotypes of the younger generation on all of the others. If we're really fair about this, I think we can take a look around and see that the blame isn't as much on generational expectations as it is on how the world has changed over the past few decades. Let's face it: people have always clucked their tongues at the up-and-coming generation. I was in high school and college during the days of "grunge," and I remember how everybody feared for the future, Fast forward a couple of decades, and Generation X and Generation Y are doing pretty good at keeping the world turning after all. No, we didn't see the same world that our parents and grandparents saw, but better times didn't doom us to a collapsing world. In fact, I'd say our biggest problem right now is simply in numbers: the baby boomers and millennials outnumber us in droves, and I think the biggest testament to our generations will be bridging the technology gap between the world we had and the world emerging from tremendous advances in science, communication, and technology.
It's the same thing all over here. We live in a world where everybody's voice can be heard. The Internet and social media have made us all a bigger star of our own universe, and it makes our voices carry longer, louder, and further than ever before. Unfortunately, we tend to forget that all of the other voices out there believe that what they think and say is just as important as what we think and say, and the election protests are an excellent example of what happens when everybody's talking, but nobody's listening. In all of the noise, we forget that we're normal people and our voice is just one of many. We have greater means to talk, but we haven't learned how to hear.
We also need to remember that traits and characteristics aren't limited to a generation. I know people my own age with a two-ton chip on their shoulder that are angry at the world. I've known senior citizens with the maturity of a pre-teen, and teens with wisdom decades beyond their physical age. And I've seen people of all ages glued to their phones. Growing up, it seems, really is optional - or at least, we treat it that way.
I do pray that we can find our way together to make all of these voices something more than the noise of our time. There are plenty of needs in this world and there's no way to attend to them all unless we work together. The United States of America really is the greatest nation, and if we want to remain that way, then we must remain One Nation Under God.
That's all today. Take care, and have a great week.
Bye!
I've heard a lot of accusations being hurled, mostly at the millennials who seem to be at the forefront of this surge. Words like crybaby, spoiled, and entitled are being hurled about as we lambast them for their immaturity and disrespect for a system that's been around since the founding of this country. It's ridiculous, we say. Who do they think they are? What's their problem? Where was all of this energy last Tuesday, where it would have made a difference?
I'll agree on that last point. Certainly, they should have made their voices heard when it really counted on Election Day. However, I believe we're jumping to age-old stereotypes of the younger generation on all of the others. If we're really fair about this, I think we can take a look around and see that the blame isn't as much on generational expectations as it is on how the world has changed over the past few decades. Let's face it: people have always clucked their tongues at the up-and-coming generation. I was in high school and college during the days of "grunge," and I remember how everybody feared for the future, Fast forward a couple of decades, and Generation X and Generation Y are doing pretty good at keeping the world turning after all. No, we didn't see the same world that our parents and grandparents saw, but better times didn't doom us to a collapsing world. In fact, I'd say our biggest problem right now is simply in numbers: the baby boomers and millennials outnumber us in droves, and I think the biggest testament to our generations will be bridging the technology gap between the world we had and the world emerging from tremendous advances in science, communication, and technology.
It's the same thing all over here. We live in a world where everybody's voice can be heard. The Internet and social media have made us all a bigger star of our own universe, and it makes our voices carry longer, louder, and further than ever before. Unfortunately, we tend to forget that all of the other voices out there believe that what they think and say is just as important as what we think and say, and the election protests are an excellent example of what happens when everybody's talking, but nobody's listening. In all of the noise, we forget that we're normal people and our voice is just one of many. We have greater means to talk, but we haven't learned how to hear.
We also need to remember that traits and characteristics aren't limited to a generation. I know people my own age with a two-ton chip on their shoulder that are angry at the world. I've known senior citizens with the maturity of a pre-teen, and teens with wisdom decades beyond their physical age. And I've seen people of all ages glued to their phones. Growing up, it seems, really is optional - or at least, we treat it that way.
I do pray that we can find our way together to make all of these voices something more than the noise of our time. There are plenty of needs in this world and there's no way to attend to them all unless we work together. The United States of America really is the greatest nation, and if we want to remain that way, then we must remain One Nation Under God.
That's all today. Take care, and have a great week.
Bye!
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