Chronicle of Depression, Part 3: Generational Schism

One of the failings of my generation, and at least 3 generations past, is that we are taught that the world is a certain way. We can get out there and actually start experiencing life, after about 10 years or so, we start to realize that the world is nothing like we were taught. 

In fact, when were are being taught about the world, it is taught from the perspective of the previous generation.  I suppose there is no real fault in this, because what else does each generation have to pull from? The world has changes so much in just the past 50 years, that almost nothing remains constant from one decade to another. The learning curve is broken. 

The truth is, the world is what we make it. We go out there with a foundation, some more stable than others. The smart ones roll with it, the weak ones are overcome by it, but the dumb ones just hum a tune and keep walking without looking. 

The "old guard" will do a lot of finger pointing and repeating the mantra of "I told you so." As counter productive as that is, it is their right. They lived, loved, lost.

I could go on and on how we are the "generation of entitlement", how we expect everything to be handed to us while being coddled. It's true, but how did we get that way? My generation grew up in the richest economy in the world, at least here in America. We reward ruthlessness and greed. "Smile as you kill." Respect authority at all costs, blindly follow, OBEY. 

America wasn't built on greed. Some would argue this point. I do, at times. I think a modern parallel to the Revolutionary war era are the people today who challenge the status quo. The people who refused to roll over for another beating. Those who refuse to stand in line. Those who spit in the eye of authority. And yet there are those who defend the injustice. They find any twisted way to justify injustice. Then, like some chemical reaction in slow motion, events reach a boiling point. 

This is what makes us human. This ever-churning internal conflict. It may not be healthy all of the time, but we need it. We need it like a child needs stimulation. Without it, our society would wither and die. We'd forgot how to love, but we would also forget how to hate. We forget how to live. 

For my own self, I think there has been a conflict churning inside me for years...hell, probably since the day I was born. I've been and still am naive. I've been devout and rebellious. I'm been conformist and non-conformist. I've been conservative and liberal. I've been Christ and Antichrist. I've been bloated with soul and soul-less. My heart has bled many times over and it has been cold as stone. 

All the while I've been silent. Held back by this unknown fear that is ever-present and relentless. I made a decision today that I would dig my heels in. I need to start standing my ground. I need to fight back the fear.