Look at the evolution of life in America over the last several generations. I did this recently after my daughter came and asked me how she would be able to live well during her later years, when she gets to be as old as I am now. I wanted to be encouraging and optimistic that she would be able to access the same sort of benefits and support as people of my generation; but I wasn’t able to do that.
My generation, those of us born in the period from World War 2 to the mid-sixties, were fortunate enough to live at a time when social security and Medicare benefits were taken for granted, when the cost of housing and health care were reasonable; when companies would offer well financed pension plans, and unions took care of their members after retirement.
Most of us were the sons and daughters of second or third generation immigrants, whose grandparents had come to America from other countries. They started with little in their pockets, then scrimped and saved enough money to perhaps buy a home, or live a reasonably lengthy and well supported life. Their children often became the first in their family’s lineage to go to college, get a good education and a reasonably well paying job.
Our generation also lived at a time of cultural optimism and looking forward. The country had survived World War II and was among the victorious nations. The American dream (of having enough money to own a home and raise a family )was still very possible. The ideal of a democratic society, where all men would be treated equally and achieve “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” was still very much alive, supported by the writings and actions of our political and spiritual leaders. The civil rights movement, the women’s movement, and the movement to end poverty and create a great society were part of the culture in which we grew up. We had a sense that we were part of a society that was building something great; that our individual lives were tied up with the lives of our countrymen and women. We had a sense of a world to which we were all connected; that our well-being was tied to the well-being of other countries and the whole planet.
That culture, dream, sense of social purpose and belonging have pretty much ended. We now look more inward and focus on our own Individual development. The ideal of democracy, while still talked about by some, is not fully understood or grasped by many people. Political leaders seem more interested in clinging to their own power than building a great society. We have become fixated on technology and the so-called benefits it can bring us; engaged on social media with people we don’t interact with in real time
Companies and unions with pension plans are rare. People openly challenge the value and cost of social security and health care for all. Machines are taking away jobs. The cost of housing continues to skyrocket. We no longer are on a common journey but seem to be divided between those in so-called red and blue states. Other countries are now looked upon as competitors or even enemies rather than allies.
So how did we get here? What went wrong? In part we have ourselves to blame. Our generation supported civil rights and the building of a great society. However we also were focused on building the value of our own nest egg to the detriment of caring for the well-being of those in different parts of the country.
All of us were caught up in the seemingly eternal cycle of generational change, when it becomes difficult to sustain the culture, economy, and lifestyle of one generation. My generation barely knew the generation of my grandparents. We inherited their names and vestiges of how they saw life but not their experience. We heard the stories of their coming to America and building a life from scratch. But we never experienced that kind of life; and my grandchildren have little idea of their parents’ parents and even less of who their parents grandparents were; no idea of what life was like before social media, computers, and TV.
We are living in a political era dominated by President Trump and the MAGA Republicans. This era has been made possible by the inability of previous generations to continue their ways of life. If you look back at the history of our country you will see the social, cultural and economic changes that have challenged each new generation to sustain its identity. Perhaps, as Hegel might argue, as our identities continue to evolve, there is some greater good involved in this process of generational change. But I don’t know.
And I don’t know exactly what to tell my daughter when she asks about the future. She won’t have the same old-age support environment as I have had; and certainly not the same as my parents and their parents before them. She will be part of her own generation’s change and response to the world they have been given.
One thing I can say is that it is important for her and her friends to not just think about themselves, but engage with the life challenges and times in which they live; to find social and political ideals like (but not necessarily) democracy that they can get excited about; and actions they can take to make their own lives more meaningful and their country and the world a better place.