Steve - to an extent you are right! But ‘America’ is not the important thing - what America stands for and protects is the big thing. It’s the values and ideas, the Freedom that gives room and impetus to creativity, love, ‘flourishing’, that counts in the end. I don’t make an idol of the USA - but what she stands for, at her best, truly towers in the world.
I’d like to keep the so-called ‘culture’ of the Y2K etc from going off a cliff. They appear to me as lost lambs, easy pickings for the powerful, because they are uninformed about the history of cultures, the dangers of rampant selfishness, and their close-mindedness as to enduring truth.
@Agnostic_Gabe - I don’t consider you a ‘lost lamb’ by the way. 
1 Like
Older generations absolutely do have wisdom. But let’s not assume that because the younger generations have different ideas, that they did not consider the wisdom of the elder.
I think you may read too far into “find their own way”. We exist today, because younger generations (which are now elder) had different ideas from their elders. Usually the same cycle that is going on now has gone on long before.
Will mistakes be made? Certainly, as they have already been made before. But not always the same mistakes. One could argue different mistakes entirely, even when it seems they were repeats. Markets change, nation’s change, culture changes. A policy that failed two generations ago merely failed under those set of circumstances. That same policy, under the circumstances today may not fail.
Nothing is static, so what worked before doesn’t mean it will always work. A ruler consults many people and thus is where I think the younger generations are treated unfairly. They have analyzed the data and have come up with different solutions.this isn’t Willy nilly (though, some things for some people may be).
Policies do not come out of nowhere; they are addressed to changing circumstances; and, while I’m ‘old’ ( but still have some good tread left, believe me on that) I have no problem with changing policies or circumstances.
I do have a big problem with changing moralities or, better - lack thereof. Far Leftists, Far Rightists and the lambs they influence have bought into a vision of humanity that is sub-human. There, I said it. The list of 25 things, above, point to a less-than-fully-human existence, as measured by older cultures, philosophies, and wisdom. And yes, as measured by the revelation of God in nature and in Christ.
To the extent that the young are taught that they can create a new morality, that’s the degree of humanity they lose. And they are ignorant of that fact. $.02
In that sense, a book I read long ago stands above the rest: “The Abolition of Man” by CS Lewis
Great, Dave. I do just the opposite, with Z-Hell (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)…and show the worst, that mankind has to offer, 
1 Like
Well, Dave, I guess I qualify as one of “the old” entering the last maybe 5% of this “short and uncertain earthly pilgrimage”, (less even than the 16.7% you give yourself!). I agree with you that the young need to experience a bit of life before being in a position to take over. A short personal anecdote may serve to illustrate the point.
I was reasonably idealistic as a young man. Two weeks after marrying Alida, we flew 6,000 miles to Zambia to start our married life. We lived there for 2 1/2 years. The country had been granted its independence by Britain two years earlier and that suited me just fine. We moved into a bungalow provided by my employer. We made a lot of friends, most of whom had lived in Zambia for years.
All of these friends had African servants who cleaned their homes, did all their laundry, cooked all meals, set the table, served the meals and washed the dishes. Some, not all, also had a gardener who cut the grass, weeded flower beds, raked the driveway, etc. The servants were paid the going rate which was about $50/month (in 1966) plus a 100 lb. sack of “mealie meal” which was the staple food. The whole idea of having servants appalled me. I considered it an affront to human dignity and I was not going to participate in something akin to slavery.
My opinion changed when a wiser, older man in the church we attended gently pointed out to me that I was not doing the Africans any favor by refusing to give them the work they needed to look after their family. What’s more, I was denying them the dignity of working. Soon afterwards, I hired Hansi, a young man with a wife and two children and housed them in the servants’ quarters close to our house. It did not take long for them to become part of our family. One night, at 3:00 a.m., I was awakened by a knocking on our bedroom door. It was Hansi. “What’s the matter?” I asked. “My wife’s sick, Bwana”, he said. I knew at once what to do and drove him and his wife to the nearby hospital where his wife soon gave birth to a baby girl. I was as happy for them as if the baby had been my own.
The point of this rambling is that idealism isn’t always a good thing to hold on to too tightly. It needs to be tempered by good advice and from life’s experience. Young people need to understand and accept that fact before stepping out to take on the world and change it into what they believe it should be like.
1 Like
That’s a much more tempered (and I think much more correct) view.
Well, my view didn’t ever change. I just don’t always feel the need to be exact and precise at all times.
All I can comment on is how you expressed your view. The second was much more tempered as expressed than was the first as expressed, whether those views are the same in your mind.
This comment coming from you, Dave was enough to bowl me over with a feather.
Your posts have led me to believe you to be one of the Far Rightists. Would you say, then that you are one of the “moderate” rightists?
I think most believe that. We are not talking about handing over the torch to 12 year olds. Gen X is now up to 54. Just how old do you have to be to not be considered young and a green horn?
All I am saying is that my view never changed and that I don’t always feel the need to write a dissertation to make a point or express an opinion.
Old enough to accept advice and guidance from those older and wiser than you - could be anywhere between 15 and 100 but only commences when you are willing to accept and act upon it.
You did well, Gabe, to seek out my advice.
2 Likes
Clever response.
Indeed, which is why I liked it. I wanted to post a smiley, but… Wouldn’t work. That said, you made me smile, Norm. A grin from ear to ear.
Wait a minute! Hold your horses!
According to the BBC, President Trump is joking about impeachment … as he issues, an important Presidental pardon.
Yes, LOL! Pushing 73 myself, with a tad less energy than in my working years, I posted this week that a crowd pushing 80(!) are especially vying to exercise U.S. political power, and it may be time for baby boomers to give the next generation a presidential shot!
It seems that every older generation tends to fret over the next, and wants to hold onto control. My parents builder generation often accused we who they had brought up as fearfully pathetic or immoral.
I don’t agree that most folk born after me in age are ignorant “lost lambs.” Many are at least as literate and observant as I am. I do agree with our older members that the wisdom gained from our experience has value, and that we should continue to play a vital role in discussions of what is best for our nation’s future. Such genuine dialogue has great worth (exceeding our usual hit pieces on the opposing party).
Left? Right?
Here is an interesting tidbit…
What’s new in the BBC news, we’re all dying to hear about?
Of course, Putin and Russia are exploring - new avenues of technology.
Randy’s post does bring to mind a question. How would any of us function while under this scenario? I know that I would be distracted if I was under investigation. My stress levels would rise, I would not sleep well and my ability to make sound decisions would be impaired. This would happen even if I was 100% innocent. It just makes me wonder if this is intended. Sure, you probably need thicker skin to be in the position, but it is almost like you need to be a damn sociopath to have this not impact you in a severe way.
I have been falsely accused many times, and when people say “why are you so defensive if you are innocent”, is one of those unfair loaded type questions. It is something you just can’t win.
These are just thoughts. Of course the guilty and innocent alike will defend themselves, but I just point out that even innocent people will vehemently defend themselves and that does not indicate that they are guilty.
1 Like