It is so interesting how our ages determine some of our cultural beliefs. My grandparents came from the depression era. They lived during a time of etreme poverty and very little in the way of social programs. Thus spending money was very dangerous. It was absolutely imperative that financial life security had been provided and set up and it was a life and death situation. Money to live on after retirement. No big purchases unless they could pay for it. Credit cards was a process they hated. Things were done in the correct method. My wife wanted to make sure it was the time when people confirmed appointments and sent 'thank you' notes. There was politeness in the world. It also seemed to be a time when there was a clear delineation between the good guys and the bad guys. The Westerns had good guys that wore white and had square jaws and said ma'am. The bad guys were smarmy and had evil glints in their eyes.
Then came my parent's era. They were the hard workers that achieved adulthood during World War 2. They went through a terrible world-wide war that barely averted evil from taking over the planet. But they survived.
Suddenly the war was over and yet some things were still the same. Now the evil was called Communism and that was coming to take over the world. But we were the good guys. Since we survived, we were filled with pride and the knowledge and ability we could do anything. It was a time of great growth of families building communities. Social programs were developed to make sure everyone was taken care of. Tradition still ruled the world.
My wife and I are part of the next group, the baby boomers. Our generation 'blew up' the world. We were in the midst of providing the biggest party in history - ranging from Woodstock to annuities to huge credit card debts. We did not believe in tradition and were constantly turning our backs on everything our parents represented. Everything changed and one of the mantras was "Don't trust anyone over 30 years old." This meant that everything was questioned. In the end, it changed everything.
Now there have been a number of generations since then. The way we look at money; the way we approach life is different. The television show "Survivor" taught us we could form alliances and lie and betray each other and be mean and it was all OK. Politeness was out the window.. We found the good guys did bad things and the bad guys had good parts. Actions were occurring in the world that we could not comprehend.
I do have to say however I don't see much difference between the current 'active shooter' school protocol rehearsals the kids go through and the 'nuclear under the desk safety' protocol rehearsals of the 1960's.
Each of us carries the personal responsibility of representing everyone by our personal actions. Thus when we set our standards of being kind to each other and relating to the Divine in each other it reminds me of Peter Pan.
In Peter Pan, there is a scene where Tinker Bell is fading away = her light is dimming and dimming and when she is gone she will be gone forever. Peter reminds us it is because no one believes anymore and we must believe for Tinker Bell to get better. I remember Peter looking out from the screen and saying to us, "You've got to help - please believe in Tinker Bell; it's the only thing that will save her. Believe, believe, believe!"
It's still the same. I believe miracles still occur and work every day. I believe in good and in love and I believe all of you are my friends. I just haven't met everyone yet. Will you believe with me?
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