Tag Archives: Silent Generation

On Not Going Gently

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Posted by on in Assistance, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 25, 2024- The seat fairly screamed, in its emptiness. It has been occupied, at a weekly breakfast meeting, for nearly six years, by a true force of nature. It is unlikely that will continue to be the case. After a storied career in the military, age has caught up with the gentleman, and he must face the loss of his independence, at minimum. He may very well be going into that good night.

The Silent Generation, born in the midst of the Great Depression, and growing up in the harrowing uncertainty of World War II, has been anything but silent, seeing the changes in society-changes which must be as incomprehensible, to them, as the changes at the turn of the Twentieth Century were to the Gilded Age Generation. My friend regularly inveighed against both the emerging, often chaotic, claims of the Left and the efforts, to cling to power, of the wealthy on the Right. He wanted things to return to how they were, in the days of Eisenhower and Kennedy.

In his prime, and into his early eighties, he was a suave, sleek dancer. When the joints began to give way, and cardiopulmonary issues arose, he was dismayed, but kept doing what he could for himself- continuing to drive, attending weekly functions and winning at Bingo. Gradually, the help of steadfast friends kept him engaged in the activities that meant the most. Then the bottom began to fall out.

He will surely heed the plea of Dylan Thomas, and do his share of raging. In the end, like the great Bard’s father, he will have to close his fierce eyes and still his thundering voice. He will, at journey’s end, find himself in another realm of light. It may be tomorrow, or some time from now. I only pray that it will be gentle to him.

https://poets.org/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good-night

Boomer-Rang

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Family, Inspiration, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

December 16, 2018, Prescott-

At this morning’s breakfast, a fellow Legionnaire voiced his occasional plaint about “the kids”:  “I’m glad that I’m at the age I am now.  I don’t think I want to see the world, after the younger generation has been in charge.”

Ho-hum!  This man is a member of “The Silent Generation”, those born between 1935-48.  Another member of that generation retorted that this is how it always has been- everyone dumps on the young.  I concur with that last assessment, remembering the reaction of both the aforementioned age group, and the GI Generation who preceded, to the antics of us Baby Boomers.

I admit it- I was too crazy about girls to care about much else, before joining the Army and learning  a goodly amount of discipline.  Even then, lovely  female faces and physiques had my near full attention, when I didn’t have a weapon in my hands, wasn’t in military formation or wasn’t focused on keeping accountable mail in a safe and secure channel of post.  My work history, though, has been a quite fair record of achievement and at least I have maintained the work ethic my parents instilled in all of us.

Penny and I imparted that same work ethic in our son, a Millennial. He has hit his stride in the military and has never ignored his considerable responsibilities, especially in his late teens and twenties.  I have a higher opinion of Millennials than even some later Gen-X’ers, those who were born in between our two generations.  No one actually seems to like the generation that comes right after them.  I had a cynical view of Generation X, until I actually worked with some of its members and  saw that there is, in reality, no full-on generation of slackers.  The world won’t let this happen, and few people like the results of slacking:  Poverty, debt and an authoritarian regime.

From what I’ve seen, I am certain we will, as I’ve said before, be just fine-with all of the generations working together.  Millennials and Generation Z will make it happen, just as we did.