My grandparents were born in the last years of the 19th century.
My parents were born in the early 1920s. Their values were partly shaped by the Depression and World War II.
My siblings and I neatly span the Baby Boom: the eldest was born in 1946, and the youngest in 1963. Our values were partly shaped by all the classic Baby Boom occupations: the struggles for peace and civil rights, the desire for authenticity, the sense that society was changing in real time.
My children were born in the last years of the 20th century. Some of the things that will shape their values have yet to occur. I hope that I will be able to share with them the best of what their ancestors (on both sides) discovered about life: the value of fidelity and hard work, love for family, the ability to weather tough times; and balance that with the need to honor themselves and discover their own paths. There are days, many of them, when this seems an absurdly huge task.
It’s amazing, isn’t it, how much life changes now for each generation. 100 years ago you would probably listen to the same music your grandparents listened to, and their advice on life and courtship and marriage, etc., would be perfectly relevant to you.
real live preacher
January 23rd, 2008