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| Photo: © S. Banos |
Much has been said of Millenials, much of it not quite positive- I know, cause I've said my fair share. But... Really, there is just no arguing it! No justification, no rationalization, no lame ass excuse imaginable. Yes, we were supposed to be the instruments of change- the generation who became educated, enlightened and inspired enough to transform our nation's (and in turn, our world's) ills into something more equitable and visionary... did we ever drop that ball!
Racism, poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, political corruption, war mongering and profiteering- and I can rant and rave all I want about how much more ignorant we all are in this century (at least in this country), but... it all happened under our watch! Is what and where we are today the vision of the Woodstock generation? More like a doubling down on everything we ridiculed, disparaged and pledged to dismantle- once and for all.
We have waged endless war (even when not attacked), rolled back many of the rights that even our predecessors fought for, and continue to maniacally usurp every last drop of oil, as we methodically disembowel a once life giving planet. We, The Baby Boomers, stand guilty as charged. We did not transform, we depleted and ransacked tenfold, at first excusing and then ultimately denying the consequences of our actions. We deserve in full, the anger, disgust and accusations of those that have inherited the remains of our wanton greed, arrogance and destruction. We were the ones who knew better, who swore to do better...
Your second paragraph has been repeated over and over for centuries. Same poop different generation. We are wired to ignore history and repeat the same mistakes. All we can do is make sure our little patch is the way we want it. If enough people take the high road only then will we break the cycle. Don't hold your breath.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was the point... I was a still a bit too young to fully participate in the sixties, but I remember that feeling in the air- palpable, electrifying. A feeling of change and revolution for the better. Of course, many things did change: some definitely for the better, much (in the long term) for the worse; but to end up where we are today- in the hands of a moronic, narcissistic fascist... Wow!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the truly scary part- if the sixties so utterly failed (and that's the only conclusion I can draw that has us ending up where we are today)- then what will it take... what will it take? And the only alternative I can think of is an event of almost extinction like catastrophe that will finally, finally turn (the remains of) mankind around...