| We
could have changed the world but opted for American
Idol instead
By Justin Siebenhaar
December 1, 2006 | I was reading
a book the other day -- On Writing, by Steven
King -- in which he said something that really got me
thinking. Referring to his generation, he said, "We
had a chance to change the world and opted for the Home
Shopping Network instead." Not only do I agree with
that statement, but I think that my generation is heading
down a similarly dangerous path; one that will have
consequences for the entire world.
As I've thought about this I'm drawn
to those generations that have been successful and those
that have not. What sets them apart? I've determined
that what defines a generation is not static events
they affect them -- for bad things will happen to every
generation -- but how that generation responds to new
challenges, new technology, and new ideas. The successful
ones are generally given to discipline and sacrifice,
even when times are difficult. Generations and cultures
that fail lend themselves to ignoring and running from
problems. Difficulty and discipline are taboo words
in their lexicon.
Now I have to be clear that I'm not
singling out political parties or organizations. I'm
not pointing fingers at anyone person in particular.
And I understand that I am generalizing. That's the
point: to observe trends generally. Of course there
are always great people, even amid the most despicable
cultures. However, I am not a moral relativist. There
is a right and wrong in this world. I know it when I
see it, and I bet you probably do too.
For the sake of proving my point,
compare the generation of my grandparents -- what Tom
Brokaw calls "the greatest generation" -- and the generation
of my parents: the Baby Boomers. In all three areas
they were confronted with different challenges, new
technology and new ideas. In the face of challenges,
one faced World War II. It was tough going. And although
the media seems content on ignoring this fact, there
was a huge faction of this country and the rest of the
world that adopted the same mentality that we see on
the world stage today: appeasement. Fortunately, that
ideology didn't win out. Unfortunately, it took the
death of millions of soldiers and civilians -- not to
mention one of the most horrible genocides known to
man -- to solve a problem that could have been prevented
had the League of Nations done its job.
The Baby Boomers however, have a
reference point of really only three wars: Vietnam,
the Cold War, and the first Iraq war. (I am, of course
leaving out the current war in Iraq; because it is still
ongoing and I think it is the result of the accumulated
experience of these three wars.) In the first it's widely
accepted that America lost. In the second, America won
without firing a shot (so to speak). And in the third,
the war was "over" in weeks. So their viewpoint seems
skewed in comparison to the history of warfare. Most
have little knowledge of military history outside these
three wars; most have never served in the armed forces.
Next is technology. I'm not just
talking about TV's and radios and the Internet and cell
phones. I'm talking about everything: transportation,
energy, communication, medicine, etc. What is technology
used for? Mostly, for making life better. But is life
really better? On one level, life is only easier. But
there's a difference between the two. Tasks that at
one point took a very long time can be done with the
push of a button. But is humanity better off? We can
see how technology is used far more for diversion in
daily life than education and productivity. People's
lives seem busier than ever, but the idea of a liberal
education has flown out the door.
Another example of this is in the
area of medicine. Okay, you don't want war, what about
healing the poor and curing mass disease? The continent
of Africa is nearly half Muslim, how about starting
there? The medicine exists; the technology to spread
the message and educate people is there. The money is
there. And yet with all of this at our disposal, the
Red Cross reports that still more than 6,500 people
(that's two 9/11's) die every day of a curable disease
(tuberculosis) for which an immunization exists (for
20 cents a piece, I might add).
Finally, ideas. Political ideologies
are what define this. Religious standards can translate
well over generational gaps, but will always be challenged.
As Alan Bennett said, "Standards are always out of date.
That's what makes them standards." But do generations
tend to come back to them, eventually seeing the wisdom
in those long held standards? Or do they adopt catchphrases
like, "if it feels good, do it"? Do they try their best
to apply themselves for mankind's greater good, or do
they figure that some cultures will never be able to
accept such ideas as freedom and democracy?
The point of this all is that those
who do not learn from the mistakes of history are doomed
to repeat them. Of course my generation is being saturated
with nothing but this secular progressive movement where
the solution to combating evil is to stop calling it
evil. Further, we tend to believe that we are somehow
isolated. This leads to indifference towards and disconnection
with duty. If this new world we live in has taught us
anything it is that it can happen here.
Finally, remember that all it takes
for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Look
around the world today, if America doesn't stand up
to the problems of today, who will? And if not our generation,
which?
NW
JP
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