Ron’s Mom On: Seeking Continuity and Permanence

ronbrownx

Cohorts of Change!

Change is inevitable, Growth is intentional!!!

 

For this article, I’m going to name myself and my granddaughter as Cohorts of Change.

 

Of course, being typical of her generation, she wouldn’t appreciate being named ANYTHING. The cohorts are; the Silent Generation of my era, and “Her Majesty’s” generation; the Millennials.

 

The members of the Silent Generation was born between 1928 and 1942. They kept their heads down trying their best to be “seen not heard”, not wanting to upset the applecart. When the “Silent” began coming of age, after World War II, they tiptoed cautiously in a post-crisis social order that no one wanted to disturb.

 

Unlike the G.I.s, they rarely talked about “changing the system”, but “working within the system.” They did this because they didn’t want anything to go on their “permanent records”, so they kept their heads down during the McCarthy era. TIME Magazine gave them the label “Silent”.

 

The millennial’s, “Her Majesty’s” generation was born between 1982 and 2000. Surveys of political attitudes among Millennials have suggested increasingly social liberal views, as well as higher overall support for classical liberal economic policies than preceding generations. They are more likely to support same-sex marriage and the legalization of drugs. They are also more likely to oppose animal testing for medical purposes than older generations.

 

Ron’s generation, “The Baby Boomers”—those born between 1946 and 1964—cannot go unscathed! As a baby-boomer, he and his cohorts were considered the wealthiest, most active, and most physically fit generation up to the era in which they arrived, and were amongst the first to grow up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time.

 

They were also the generation that received peak levels of income; they could therefore reap the benefits of abundant levels of food, apparel, retirement programs, and sometimes even “midlife crisis” products. The increased consumerism for this generation has been regularly criticized as excessive.

 
These generational differences have brought about change within these two or three generations and all others in between. Regardless of the battle, change was the inevitable. With each generation’, we have experienced broad and definitive social and political trends. Most of these trends have become both continuous and permanent.

 
Lastly, Christianity has played an important role. It is responsible for the way our society is organized and for the way we currently live. So extensive is the Christian contribution to our laws, our economics, our politics, our arts, our calendar, our holidays, and our moral and cultural priorities that historian J. M. Roberts writes in The Triumph of the West, ‘We could none of us today be what we are if a handful of Jews nearly two thousand years ago had not believed that they had known a great teacher, seen him crucified, dead, and buried, and then rise again.’ ” (From the book What’s So Great about Christianity by Dinesh D’Souza.)

 
So, Her Majesty the Millennial, The Silent Generation defers to you! Be on the lookout for “Generation Z”. According to Forbes in 2015, the generation after Millennials, Generation Z, makes up 25% of the U.S. population; making them an even larger cohort than the “Baby Boomers” or the “Millennials. More change to come!

 

 

by Ron’s Mom

Published by ronbrownx

I'm just a country boy who was fortunate enough to have seen a little bit of the world, courtesy of Uncle Sam. My blog site began as a college assignment, but is slowly evolving into something more. What, I'm not exactly sure of yet. So, forgive the links that go nowhere; the dead ends etc. I'll get it together some day. You can also find samples of my writing under the title, "Ron's Time Tunnel" and "The Flowering Vine", on my most generous cousin's blog site, seekthebestblog.com. As you can see by the title of my blog, I have a fascination with TIME. I hope you'll enjoy tripping through it with me.

35 Comments

  1. Mrs. Brown, you bring up excellent point and facts as well. I honestly do not trust the generation underneath myself. The dependence on technology have limited their growth and evolution as human beings. With real problems comes real adversity which means real heart and real fortitude. If these millennials have the so called “best” everything, why do their attitudes stink? Hahaha. I understand I am 33 years old but I’m no millennial.

    Liked by 2 people

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      1. Ohhhh man I’m sorry. Hahahaha man I am not in good graces with the ladies of your family today huh? Hahahah. Ok.

        Like

  3. Mrs. Brown – another wonderful post, by the way. I guess I am going to apologize on behalf of Generation X for the millenials. My generation is responsible for making this group in to the no accountability group. As a disclaimer, not every millenial falls into this description. There are exceptions. However, from a very early age, millenials were told that everything they did was worthy of praise. It didn’t matter what kind of work you did as long as you showed up. If a teacher didn’t give little Billy or Susie the grade that they felt they deserved, it must be the teacher’s fault. They just can’t see how brilliantly talented my son or daughter is! The same pattern repeats in college until finally the millenials enter the workforce. They have demands that most companies are accomodating because they are the future. They must have a social life so they have flexible schedules. If they don’t feel like working, they don’t show up. If they receive a poor performance review, they report their manager to HR because they deserved better! Believe me, I look forward to change.

    Liked by 4 people

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    3. Thanks Susan, I love your response. And like you said, “not all millennials” are the same. It’s sometimes dangerous when we do generalize but on the scale of big change, it is almost impossible not to.

      The good thing is, everything works towards achieving a balance. Balance is good. We may have wild swings this way or that way sometimes but balance is usually achieved. It may not be familiar to us when it is achieved, but it’s a balance nonetheless.

      Thanks, and oh, just call Mom, Mom or Ms. Denson.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  4. This is wonderful! Thank you Mrs. B! (sorry, may I call you Mrs. B?) 😀
    Being from Generation X and raising a Generation Z child, I’m seeing a lot of humanity and love in these children. I think Generation Z are seeing the worst of the world and may actually aim to make this world a better place. The lockdown drills they have at school these days put the fear of God into them. I don’t know how it is with the rest of the country, but in the state of Washington, they’re taught to recycle, respect the earth and all living things, there is no tolerance for bullying, a lot of humanitarian stuff. My son’s elementary school taught (and the kids lived by) The Leader in Me principals, penned by Stephen Covey, every single day. Yes, I too see change coming… and it’s all good. I have faith. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    2. Hi Gwin, you and your cohorts should not feel slighted!! Even though you have been cited as being “stuck in the middle” of the Baby Boomers and the Millenials, there’s one silver lining. Generation X is savvy, skeptical, and don’t give much of a hoot what others think of you. Or whether others think of you at all.
      Yes, I do have love and much respect for your generation.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Thanks Auntie!
        Much love and respect right back to you and all of the Baby Boomers before us 🌹

        And you’re right, we were kinda ‘stuck between’ two large generations.

        I think as we have gotten older we are starting to be more concerned of what others think of us–especially our millennial children and boomer parents 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  9. Great piece!

    I want to echo some of the sentiments expressed above. Society tends not to have faith in the youth. Once upon a time there were “children are the future” bumper stickers. But nowadays, children are being frisked on their way to the lunch room at school. I honestly feel bad for the up and coming generation.

    Glad to see some folks have faith =D

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. This was really interesting… different conditions and peer mentality really shaped people’s views. There do seem to be similar patterns of thinking across the generations.

    Loved this, except you forgot mine! I’m tail-end of Gen X. We were all the rage for a while. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. HI delilahwahr,
      Thanks for the comment! How could I forget your generation? “Your Majesty’s” mom was a tail-end Gen X, born 1980. You all being the lucky ones, the ones in between X and Millennial. The tail-end Gen X got some of the best of both worlds. Technological advances were made but you weren’t as beholden to them as “Your Majesty’s” Mellenials. In other words, you weren’t attached by hand and ear to a cell phone. Also, by no means were you immune to the Recession, but many of you were able to duck its heftiest blows.

      Like

      Reply

  13. Hi Berni,
    Thanks for commenting! I totally agree! Here’s a thought taken in part from a poem by GailForceWinds
    Feb 18, 2015
    Slow Down
    Where am I going
    Where have I been
    Running in circles
    Again and again

    Trying to get things done
    Do these things matter to me

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. Pingback: The Versatile Blogger Award | Planet Simon

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