Generational Legacy

Thursday, June 5, 2014, 10am to 11:30 in the Meeting Room (behind the fireplace)

What will our generation pass to the younger generation? We will explore this issue in the month of June. We will start by soliciting ideas from our members based on their personal experiences. Tim will lead the discussion. Vince has offered this write up to get things started.

Zoom-in and Wisdom: An Inter-Generational Discussion

Most of our group members are in their seventh decade and have accumulated much wisdom. We have accumulated knowledge and have experienced much in life. There is a deep reservoir of knowledge and understanding that should be shared with younger generations. Yet, having a conversation with members of younger generations, often with children and grandchildren is sometimes difficult.  The younger generation can learn from us. We’ve experienced life far longer and often with more consequences than have the younger generations.  We have been exposed to much, such as the Great Depression, World War II and many societal changes that have impacted our communities during the 60s, 70s and into the present. Our experiences and insights are valuable. They need to be shared with the younger generations.  For example, the Great Recession of 2009, in my opinion, was not recognized as a potential crisis by the younger generation that had not experienced the direct or indirect effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s. 

Is there anything in your life experiences that you would like to share with the younger generations? If so, what would it be? What problems have you had to overcome? What successes have you achieved and why?  How best to communicate with the younger generations some of your wisdom without threatening them; or being dated and appearing irrelevant to their concerns? 

Likewise, we can learn much from the younger generations. I know I feel threatened when I see my grandchildren and other youth zipping around with technological gadgets with which I am quite unfamiliar. There is in my opinion no “greatest generation” as Tom Brokaw has identified the generation of the Great Depression and World War II.  Each generation has its own challenges and problems to overcome. Whereas,  many of us have had economic issues to overcome and educations to obtain, the younger generations have different and no less no less challenging issues to confront.  The global economy, social culture, overwhelming technological change, and a host of other issues are on the agenda of  younger generations.  How would you like to be facing a global economic competition as are the millennials?

In sum, I feel our group has much to offer younger generations and much to learn from them. I propose that we dig into our own experiences and discuss how to share them with younger generations. We as individuals have had different experiences that have had great impact upon where we are today. I suspect that as we reflect on our lives we can come up with some common themes that would capture what we would want to discuss in a manner to be presented to young people who are not party to our Zoom-in discussion.

We are seniors having discussions among seniors.  Generational  differences are often mistaken for developmental differences of youth becoming  adults.  For example, have youth throughout the ages  differed from their elders; Or are the younger generations of today really facing a future that is fundamentally different?

Although our discussions have been enlightening and informative, they are generation bound and biased.   Let’s open the window, or if you prefer a door initiating an intergenerational discussion.

Issues to discuss over our lifetime and project into the future.  (Add your own)

• The American Dream;   Inheritance of wealth and community values;

•  Diversity: race, ethnicity and social class,

• Employment/Unemployment;   Military Service

• Family structure:  How does it matter and what difference does it make?  Raising children

• Education- How should youth be educated and what should they learn?

 Note: There is no official definition of what constitutes a generation. Often ages used as a guideline when talking about generations. I have read in, Generation Inc. , that age should not determine generational groups, but rather social events and demographics that were happening at their inception. For example, many of us have been called a “traditional”  group, born before World War II, while others, are in our group are referred to as baby boomers. As we grow older it is the “context” in which we were born, and come of age,  that defines the  perspective for how we view life. and determines to which generation we belong.   A “traditional” will  always be a traditional and a baby boomer will always be a baby boomer and so on with generation X. generation Y, millennial’s and generations yet to be defined.

-------------------------- Update 5/3/14  ------------------------

Tim has provided an outline of what we will cover this month.

These ZOOM-IN discussions assume that the future may not be as promising for our grand children and great grand children.  Not as promising as it was for us and our children.  It may well be that many virtues, values, skills, and life lessons taught to us by our parents, grandparents, and experience can serve future generations well.  

Let us try to identify and package them in a way that is meaningful and useful.
 Session One:  An initial list of discussion topics will be provided.
 1.     What is missing from the list of discussion topics?
2.     What is our experience* (a quick survey) regarding each of the topics – both positive and negative.
 Sessions Two and Three:
 1.     Discuss each topic area and both our positive and negative experiences.
2.     Try to formulate a consensus statement regarding our positive and negative experience for each topic area.
3.     Determine guidance that can be passed on to future generations.
 Session Four:   

1.     Continue to determine guidance that can be passed on.
2.     Discuss possible uses that can be made with fruits of our efforts.
  *  No embarrassing examples or confidences please.