What Four For What?

Image by Girl With Red Hat

Four generations ago there was no television, and a telephone call to fifty miles away was long distance. Four generations ago was the end of the Great Depression, one of many we’ve had; only now, they’re called recessions. Many from four generations ago are not here anymore.  Many of those who still are think this generation four generations later, with its cell phones, computers, and social media is arrogant, self-indulgent, uncaring, and unaware of the realties of the world it is immersed in and surrounds it.  Those of four generations ago who think this way may have forgotten that those from generations before theirs thought of them the same way. They will not join the conversation.  They don’t wish to. Or perhaps they can’t.  After all, clicking and dragging and texting and apping (or is it ape-ing?) is too overwhelming, like sitting in front of a plateful of vegetables you didn’t like that you had to eat before you could have dessert.

Then, there are those from four generations ago who do click and drag and text and app, who remember when the smallest surfboard was 9’ 6” long, weighed 30 pounds, and had one skeg; now, children at Dana Point under 12 run the 5’- 6’ length of their surfboards weighing maybe 10 pounds or less and have three skegs, who do 360’s on the nose and hang ten; their older counterparts shoot through the tunnels of 20’-30’ high waves and pull out before the tons of water will kill them.  And then they do it again.  Joyfully.  Their counterparts are not just young men but young women who do that. Some of those who remember what was and marvel at what is do 80+ mile-bike rides and run 3 + miles or even marathons (but not at the 20 year-olds’ pace, of course), who still keep on keepin’ on, some of whom do wish to sit in on the conversation.

Why?

We’re all sitting at the same table, all from all generations, the Great Generation, the 50’s, Baby Boomers, X ‘s and Y’s and Millennials and whatever other generational labels we impose to make sure we’re all sitting in the correct chairs.

Maybe it’s time to play musical chairs.  Maybe it’s time to move around a bit, to listen to what has already been heard and to say what has already been said, to say what has yet to be said and listen to what has yet to be heard.