{"id":11323,"date":"2021-01-17T08:37:36","date_gmt":"2021-01-17T13:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=11323"},"modified":"2021-01-17T08:57:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-17T13:57:38","slug":"coming-of-age-during-different-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=11323","title":{"rendered":"coming of age during different times"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u201c\u2026 I found myself sitting across the booth from one of the guys who had attended the party, a local architect who is about fifteen years my senior. I don\u2019t even remember what we were discussing, but at one point I said to him, \u2018You know, Pat, I\u2019ll bet you and I feel differently about this topic because <strong>you and I came of age during different times.<\/strong>\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As he and I explored that thought, the other talk around the booth gradually came to a halt, as the other members of the group first listened and then wanted to weigh in on our discussion. When they did, the conversation<strong> ignited. <\/strong>What followed were several hours of explosive and riveting discussion, all of it coming from a point of view none of us had ever considered and knew a thing about\u2026\u201d&nbsp;\u2014 Chuck Underwood, in <em>The Generational Imperative<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Different generations have different perspectives. Each has value. No doubt we can learn from one another, as we consider angles and aspects our own experience fails to provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For today\u2019s post, therefore, recognizing the contentious cultural moment, we\u2019ve solicited some wisdom from those who\u2019ve gone before us. I reached out to several, valuing their years of experience, diverse upbringings, and recognizing they have so much to offer and so much keen insight to share\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cOver the course of your lifetime, have you ever sensed a social\/political season similar to now,\u201d <\/em>I asked. Also, <em>\u201cWhat compares to the current fractured, national, societal state \u2014 or specifically, to the fear or division?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answers to the above were fascinating and acute. In response to having ever witnessed such a season, \u201cto a tee\u201d they articulated in virtual unison: <em>\u201cNo, not really.\u201d \u201cNot remotely close in my life.\u201d \u201cThis. today. NOTHING.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what compares? This prompted pause. Almost all mentioned a military conflict\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>\u201cThe first thing that came to mind were the feelings I had during the second world war\u2026 I was in single digits and had a lot of fears I could not reason out with an adult mind. I remember going to bed at night in the bedroom on the second story on the east side of the house with a hill a field away fearing that the German troops would be coming over that hill during the night.&nbsp;Part of the government action at that time was the order to shut all lights off including street lights so cities were dark on many occasions.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/li><li><em>\u201cI grew up in the Eisenhower years. Everything was black and white and very little grey. I felt safe and secure. Jobs were abundant and outside of the \u2018bomb drills\u2019 and hiding under our desks at school, life was good. Then the Cold War started and Khrushchev banging his shoe on the podium of the United Nations screaming \u2018We will bury you!\u2019 frightened me to death and gave me nightmares for years.\u201d<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So many mentioned Vietnam\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>\u201cThere were serious divisions with sit ins and demonstrations.\u201d<\/em><\/li><li><em>\u201cThere was social unrest\u2026 why are we in SE Asia? Attitudes changed when the \u2018college\u2019 kids were being drafted, I believe. Although there were those who signed up, there were protests on college campuses.\u201d<\/em><\/li><li><em>\u201cThe Vietnam issue was a real splitter for me. I don\u2019t remember it being a Democrat or Republican conflict but a certain demographic in my generation not wanting to be involved in a war which we did not think we should be involved in. The other of us just wanting to do whatever our government expected of us.\u201d<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Still more mentioned the racial tension, the harrowing assassinations, and more\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>\u201cSegregation hit and we took to the streets.\u201d<\/em><\/li><li><em>\u201cWhen news broke that MLK had been assassinated, [the city] <\/em><strong><em>erupted<\/em><\/strong><em> \u2014 nights of eruptions.\u00a0 The city went on a curfew so all night classes were cancelled and the National Guard was called in.\u201d<\/em><\/li><li><em>\u201cI experienced 3 assassinations \u2014 JFK, MLK, Bobby Kennedy \u2014 US involvement in Vietnam, having family and friends drafted and some not coming home, political riots (Chicago \u201868), Civil Rights marches, riots, Kent State shooting of 4 students by the Ohio National Guard\u2026 Watergate\u2026 It was not political divisions as today; it was more &#8216;us vs. them.&#8217;\u201d<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Within that sharing, they humbly offered sobering more\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>\u201cI\u2019ve seen nothing of this depth. I\u2019m sensing people are deeply entrenched in their points of view without a sense of reality or an understanding of what are really the core issues the other side is fighting for.\u201d<\/em><\/li><li><em>\u201cI have never seen the situation in our country as we see it now.&nbsp;I do not feel is it only because of the pandemic. For some time there seems to be a growing erosion of values, common decency, unwillingness to listen to differing points of view, unwillingness to recognize that one has a right to his\/her opinion but that could be wrong in view of facts.&nbsp;Therefore,&nbsp;much judgment seems imposed on others which then justifies one&#8217;s conduct and&nbsp;supports negating the value of others.&nbsp;It is a \u2018only-me-matters\u2019 mentality.&nbsp;So sad to see all this divisiveness and unwillingness which is destroying all of us in different ways.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What a privilege to learn from those who\u2019ve gone before us\u2026 if we are willing\u2026 sobered and humble, too\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AR<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201c\u2026 I found myself sitting across the booth from one of the guys who had attended the party, a local architect who is about fifteen years my senior. I don\u2019t even remember what we were discussing, but at one point I said to him, \u2018You know, Pat, I\u2019ll bet you and I feel differently about &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=11323\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;coming of age during different times&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-event"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11323"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11331,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11323\/revisions\/11331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}