A few days ago, in response to a post that I’d written about the young leaders emerging from the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, there was an interesting exchange between two of our favorite commenters, Jean [the first comment above] and Lynn [the second comment above], about, among other things, the idea that sometimes, for true change to happen, older generations need to either step aside or die off. And, as I’m tired of writing about Trump, I thought that this might be an interesting idea for us to discuss as a group.
While there’s certainly value in the wisdom that comes with age, at what point are we better off just breaking the ties with the past and moving on?
Having just turned 50, I’m not terribly keen on the idea that older people need to die in order for there to be positive change on issues like climate change and guns, but I can see the logic in it. As people become older, at least from what I’ve seen, they tend to become more set in their ways, and less receptive to new ideas. Sure, some folks become more contemplative, and begin thinking more about the big picture, and the world that they’re leaving the next generation, but I suspect, statistically speaking, we’re talking about a very small minority. For the most part, I think, people, by a certain age, feel as though it’s their right, after a lifetime of busting their asses, to just slow down a bit, and enjoy what they’ve built. And I suspect, in times of uncertainty and political turmoil, like we’re living through now, that can’t be easy. I suspect quite a few older people just want all the shit to stop… all the protests, all the talk of rising sea levels, all the kids asking why people of there generation didn’t step up and do something, etc.
If there’s going to be change, it’s likely going to come from the young, as we’re seeing now in the gun control movement. Sure, older people are involved, and groups like Moms Demand Action have been instrumental, but it’s the kids who have the fearless energy and the ability to imagine a different kind of world. Sure, they’ll make mistakes. They always do. But, in the end, they’ll nudge us a little further in the right direction along the moral arc of the universe that Theodore Parker, Martin Luther King and Barack Obama talked about.
As a person who is starting to confront his own mortality a little more seriously, all of this gives me some comfort… I mean, sure, I’d love it if science were to progress to the point where I might get another decade or two with my family, but at some point it’s probably a good thing that we all leave these earthly vehicles of ours behind, and allow others to take up the fight.
Linette’s grandmother, who lived to be 100, once told me that, like a very large tree, she’d eventually have to die, so that the the other smaller trees around her could finally see the sun, and grow to the fullest of their potential. And I’ve always loved that idea. Of course, it runs contrary to every self-preservation impulse that evolution has given us, but I find it really lovely, and I hope that, with age, I’m able to see life the same way… appreciating the fact that I’m not just me, the individual, but part of something bigger, a kind of multi-generational narrative that, in spite of all the bad stuff, is still moving forward in the right direction. I mean, we moved on from slavery, women got the vote, and gay people can get married. Sure, it took over 200 years, and there’s still a lot to be done, but, when you think about the amount of time that humans have been on the earth, it’s just the blink of an eye. And, who knows, maybe in another generation or two, we’ll get money out of politics, guns off the streets, and true equality in our schools.
[note: Before anyone writes in to accuse me of being ageist, I’d like to point out that I now have my AARP card.]