Living bridges' is the phrase that stays. Not survivors of decline but carriers of continuity, people who remember what life felt like before everything moved so fast. We forget this when we reduce aging to a problem to be managed. Amazing piece!!!
I’m 80, a Vietnam lady veteran. What a history and time we have lived through. I hope I live long enough to see my country right its self and be the America I was so proud of.
I feel the same and will definitely file it as a keeper. I have loved my generation even though a few happenings were not to my liking. I continue to write letters, make my own cards at 82, and attend high school reunions (1961), and am quite active in my community. Thanks for sharing.
Did you mention Vietnam? A war that we had no business in being any part of? The needless loss of young men and women who fought in that war. The draft that if you were rich enough, you could buy your way out of? Students being tear-gassed on college campuses protesting the unjust war? How about Kent State where the national guard actually shot at students protesting the war that ended with one student being murdered?
My grandmother was born in 1901 in rural Texas, and died in 2006 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She saw the world change from gas light to solar panels, Model Ts to men on the moon, gunpowder to the atomic bomb to nuclear power. She read about the Titanic at age 11, saw her uncle go off to WWI at the age of 13, taught in a 2-room schoolhouse at the age of 16, married a young Army lieutenant at age 19, cared for him and their 2 young kids after he contacted polio in the Philippines, worked in the San Francisco shipyards during WWII, traveled around the world after his death in 1961. And then outlived her 9 younger brothers and sisters. I'm named after her, but I'll never be able to live up to her example.
Exactly how I feel. When a young person sneers with a “Right, Boomer”, I say “damn right!” I’m proud to have lived a childhood full of people and experiences, rather than screens. I’m proud to have seen women gain rights and freedoms. I’m proud to have seen a world come together and aspire to noble dreams of humanity. I’m so glad I grew up when I did!
What a wonderful way to tell our story. The highlight of my days was to be with my friends. We were so closely connected. It’s funny, when I see an old childhood friend we, without thought, hug and ask as many questions as possible in our now hectic lives; oh for those light hearted days long gone.
WOW!!! For me, when I look in the mirror and see my white hair (young girls have asked me what color L’Oréal I use), my wrinkles and sun soaked skin I happily and proudly earned all of it.
But what Boomers don’t recognize is they blew an opportunity. They acted independently, didn’t foster community, and did not mentor new leaders. They overshadowed Generation X as they competed for attention and wealth. When you failed to lead you cursed generations after your’s for not stepping up. Elderly, Boomer - whatever you want to call yourself, accept some blame.
When I think of the way things were in the past, meaning the 20th century, I don’t think of an idyllic, pre-digital world.
I think about how as an eight-year-old I had to order books from the main library at the county seat, and you could wait a month to even get the book. I remember I could never get the information I was after because the library was so terrible. Then processing that information was extremely difficult, because you needed an advanced education in all kinds of different methods and techniques that you didn’t know even know were necessary.
I then think about all the gatekeepers that used to exist. I think about how you had to know somebody to get insider information, or even a job.
The difficulty of accessing information, combined with those hierarchies that were enforced by the gatekeepers ensured that a lower middle class child could never escape their birthright of mediocrity.
I think about the monoculture. I think about how rigid society was. I also consider how all of this sheltered prejudice.
I believe the only thing that made it better compared to now is that those times were pretty effective at keeping stupid people down.
I love the technology of today. I love that I can produce, in a couple of hours, a fully researched report containing a series of objections that will have an impact on a city planning commission to stop the construction of an ugly, and environmentally destructive, high-rise that some developer wants to build.
I won’t bore you with other examples.
But I do agree that giving stupid people, the megaphone of the Internet, stripped of social restraints and norms has produced more than a few horror shows.
Living bridges' is the phrase that stays. Not survivors of decline but carriers of continuity, people who remember what life felt like before everything moved so fast. We forget this when we reduce aging to a problem to be managed. Amazing piece!!!
I’m 80, a Vietnam lady veteran. What a history and time we have lived through. I hope I live long enough to see my country right its self and be the America I was so proud of.
I feel the same and will definitely file it as a keeper. I have loved my generation even though a few happenings were not to my liking. I continue to write letters, make my own cards at 82, and attend high school reunions (1961), and am quite active in my community. Thanks for sharing.
I’m a living, breathing history book just like you.
Did you mention Vietnam? A war that we had no business in being any part of? The needless loss of young men and women who fought in that war. The draft that if you were rich enough, you could buy your way out of? Students being tear-gassed on college campuses protesting the unjust war? How about Kent State where the national guard actually shot at students protesting the war that ended with one student being murdered?
My grandmother was born in 1901 in rural Texas, and died in 2006 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She saw the world change from gas light to solar panels, Model Ts to men on the moon, gunpowder to the atomic bomb to nuclear power. She read about the Titanic at age 11, saw her uncle go off to WWI at the age of 13, taught in a 2-room schoolhouse at the age of 16, married a young Army lieutenant at age 19, cared for him and their 2 young kids after he contacted polio in the Philippines, worked in the San Francisco shipyards during WWII, traveled around the world after his death in 1961. And then outlived her 9 younger brothers and sisters. I'm named after her, but I'll never be able to live up to her example.
Exactly how I feel. When a young person sneers with a “Right, Boomer”, I say “damn right!” I’m proud to have lived a childhood full of people and experiences, rather than screens. I’m proud to have seen women gain rights and freedoms. I’m proud to have seen a world come together and aspire to noble dreams of humanity. I’m so glad I grew up when I did!
What a wonderful way to tell our story. The highlight of my days was to be with my friends. We were so closely connected. It’s funny, when I see an old childhood friend we, without thought, hug and ask as many questions as possible in our now hectic lives; oh for those light hearted days long gone.
WOW!!! For me, when I look in the mirror and see my white hair (young girls have asked me what color L’Oréal I use), my wrinkles and sun soaked skin I happily and proudly earned all of it.
Thank you. This is priceless!!!!
But what Boomers don’t recognize is they blew an opportunity. They acted independently, didn’t foster community, and did not mentor new leaders. They overshadowed Generation X as they competed for attention and wealth. When you failed to lead you cursed generations after your’s for not stepping up. Elderly, Boomer - whatever you want to call yourself, accept some blame.
Bless you! I’m 78 and your story, touched my heart! Indeed, we are fortunate, for our journey!
Yes! I watched that all the time! And Johnny Quest!
I’m in
I am of that slowly fading generation and I love this piece.
I have tears. Beautiful. Thank you.
I will be a contrarian.
When I think of the way things were in the past, meaning the 20th century, I don’t think of an idyllic, pre-digital world.
I think about how as an eight-year-old I had to order books from the main library at the county seat, and you could wait a month to even get the book. I remember I could never get the information I was after because the library was so terrible. Then processing that information was extremely difficult, because you needed an advanced education in all kinds of different methods and techniques that you didn’t know even know were necessary.
I then think about all the gatekeepers that used to exist. I think about how you had to know somebody to get insider information, or even a job.
The difficulty of accessing information, combined with those hierarchies that were enforced by the gatekeepers ensured that a lower middle class child could never escape their birthright of mediocrity.
I think about the monoculture. I think about how rigid society was. I also consider how all of this sheltered prejudice.
I believe the only thing that made it better compared to now is that those times were pretty effective at keeping stupid people down.
I love the technology of today. I love that I can produce, in a couple of hours, a fully researched report containing a series of objections that will have an impact on a city planning commission to stop the construction of an ugly, and environmentally destructive, high-rise that some developer wants to build.
I won’t bore you with other examples.
But I do agree that giving stupid people, the megaphone of the Internet, stripped of social restraints and norms has produced more than a few horror shows.