| King David, in the psalms, cries out to the Lord, "Why | | | | of "Camelot," and there would be no political or |
| so downcast my soul?" The quote below, from a | | | | societal "holy grail" to revive us as a nation! |
| Pew Research article, asks a similar question of the | | | | 4) A Divided Generation: All of this turmoil eventually |
| baby-boomer generation, in particular, those | | | | would lead to a division in my generation. By the |
| baby-boomers who are ages 54 to 62: "Why so | | | | middle of the 1960s, we baby-boomers were divided |
| glum, you older baby-boomers?" | | | | right down the middle, politically, culturally and |
| Why So Glum? | | | | religiously. Many of us supported the war and |
| In the end, these survey data do not say definitively | | | | government and would serve and die in Viet Nam |
| why baby boomers are sour compared with other | | | | and Cambodia. Many of us would reject the war, the |
| adults, but these numbers and other research | | | | government and the values that our parents had |
| suggest some possibilities. Seven-in-ten boomers say | | | | always held as precious. This caused a rift even in |
| they are dissatisfied with the direction in which the | | | | families. I know men who fled to Canada, to evade |
| country is going, which is considerably higher than the | | | | the draft, that still have no contact with their parents |
| share of younger adults who say so (54%) and | | | | and siblings. Many of us, who chose the radical left |
| about the same as the share of older adults who do | | | | position, literally threw out our traditional religious, |
| (68%). They are more likely than either younger or | | | | social and political beliefs and values with the bath |
| older adults to agree with the statement that the | | | | water. To this day, we have never, as a generation, |
| rich just get richer these days while the poor get | | | | completely recovered from this division, which is |
| poorer. | | | | evidenced in our current political and cultural climate. |
| Why so glum, baby-boomer? As an older | | | | We are a nation that is divided and in many, many |
| baby-boomer, I'll tell you why we're so glum. In fact, | | | | ways! |
| let me count the ways! | | | | 5) Two Generations & Two Completely |
| 1) "Wars and rumors of wars:" Korea, Laos, Vietnam, | | | | Opposite Responses to Major Challenges: Our parents |
| Kuwait/Iraq, Iraq #2 (which is still dragging on), as | | | | had experienced two world wars and a great |
| well as military skirmishes (during the years we were | | | | depression. These were events which the world had |
| supposedly at "peace") all over the globe. | | | | never experienced before, or at least not in the |
| 2) "The Cold War:" In the late 1950s and early 1960s, | | | | same magnitude. Our parents, as well as the |
| nuclear ("NUCULAR") testing was a constant reminder | | | | government, had banded together to overcome |
| to me and my friends, as prepubescent children, that | | | | these huge obstacles, and in doing so they had |
| our families, friends and ourselves could be vaporized | | | | become very unified as a nation. To my parent's |
| at any given moment. Fall-out Shelters were high on | | | | generation, the whole was definitely greater than the |
| the list of priorities for those families who could | | | | sum of its parts, and they greatly benefited from |
| afford them. We had air-raid drills in elementary | | | | that perspective. |
| school, where we were taught to "duck and cover" | | | | We (the baby-boomers), on the other hand, would |
| under our desks. One major example of this fear and | | | | adhere to the opposite way of dealing with major |
| paranoia was the Cuban missile crisis, in the Fall of | | | | issues and become completely divided and self |
| 1962! I was twelve years old when this occurred, and | | | | serving. The sum of its parts had suddenly become, |
| I can still remember the fear in my parent's faces as | | | | in my generation's eyes, greater than the whole: the |
| they watched the evening news every night for | | | | "I, me and mine" generation would have a self |
| almost two weeks. My mother would cry and ask | | | | absorbed and inner focus, which would lead to our |
| my father, "Do you really think the Russians will | | | | inability to resolve the major problems that now face |
| attack us with nuclear weapons?" My father never | | | | us every day! |
| had an answer. I can remember going to bed and | | | | In my opinion, my generation would have lost the |
| staring out the window to see if I could spot an | | | | two world wars and never recovered from the great |
| incoming ICBM. I was terrified, as was almost | | | | depression! Why? Because, unlike our parents, we no |
| everyone else, including President Kennedy! | | | | longer have an identity as a nation or individuals. We |
| 3) Assassinations: John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King | | | | don't know who we are or what we believe about |
| Jr., Robert F. Kennedy. These three men were | | | | anything, and therefore, we find it very difficult to |
| touted by our parents and teachers, and almost | | | | come together and solve the major issues which |
| everyone else, as the saviors of our country, and all | | | | affect all of us: our unresolved economic crisis, the |
| three of these men would be assassinated within a | | | | Iraq war and our decline as a respected nation in the |
| five year period. These three assassinations would | | | | world are just three examples of this lack of identity |
| ultimately leave us saddled with the likes of Jesse | | | | and unified will. |
| Jackson, Al Sharpton, Richard M. Nixon, Spiro T. | | | | There are other reasons, which are too numerous to |
| Agnew and Gerald Ford. A ten year war, with almost | | | | count, why we baby-boomers are so "glum," but I'll |
| 60, 000 American fatalities, Water Gate and | | | | wait for someone with more ability than me to write |
| impeachment proceedings would be all that was left | | | | about them. |