There are quotes from ancient Egypt and Rome where older people are bemoaning the state of the young and the possible deterioration of the nation. I realize that times change and that the situation I thought I knew when I was young no longer holds, at least in its entirety. When I see clothing or manners or activity that seems weird to me, it is usually among teens or young adults. But then, it would be, wouldn't it? I try to remember what my businessman brother-in-law keeps telling me: that I am not part of the "hot demographic", that people my age already have what they need and more. Thus, advertising, new products and ways to spend money are not aimed at my sort since we won't bite, spend or join much. Heck, we often don't even move at all.
Still, it can be worrisome when we learn of this practice or that debt level or some other activity not to conclude that, unlike tough, wily, dedicated, focused us, the current younger generations are too soft, too insensitive, too weak to carry on the glorious tradition we have. Several times a day, I think of some worry about the modern condition and then realize that my grandkids in their parenting, their relationships and their lives are handling things very well, indeed. Don't believe everything you read about the young. We are reading and enjoying Affluenza by John De Graaf and others. It is a freshly written review of many factors threatening our lives (over-consumption, debt, divorce, loss of orientation of our lives) and we learned about the book from our grandson-in-law who has been using it in his studies. Don't be too surprised to find that it is not only electronics and video games that young people know well. They are thinking, too.
(Copyedited by L.S. Kirby)
