GENERATIONAL AMBITIONS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS

What generational ambitions do you remember?

Our parents wanted us to have a better life than them?

Our kids want a better life for their kids?

But what about you, Boomer?

Research indicates that baby boomers wanted to rock and roll all day and party every night.

They wanted to know what it was like behind blue eyes.

What they didn’t want was to get drafted and sent to Vietnam.

I think about that with every Vietnam Veteran hat I see on old guys.

Did they join? Were they drafted? Did they have the same pride back in the day?

I asked the question of veterans I met while I was in the Army.

One of them said, “We had the brown boot Army, we had the black boot Army, and now we’ve got this goddamn thing.”

This was during the early stages of the all volunteer Army.

I didn’t ask for clarification because he was talking about my Army, but I do remember thinking, ‘F that guy.’

 

Baby Boomer Generational Ambitions

Today’s boomer gets a lot of blame.

We didn’t do enough; we’re still not doing enough; we’re selfish hoarders keeping everything for ourselves.

Which I disagree with.

Did we all grow up in a golden age of plenty for everyone?

That’s one point of view, just not one shared in the Jim Crow south.

I remember a common saying, “If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.”

Since the 60’s and 70’s we’ve been hearing the good and the bad all at once until it’s hard to tell the difference between the two.

If that’s you, you may need a tune up on your bullshit detector.

There is a difference, in some cases a big difference, but until it affects us individually, it’s all good, bra.

At the same time there’s so much gray area to wade through.

 

I’m not the blogger who loves rubbing it in by writing about what sucks and what doesn’t suck.

My readers deserve better. Why?

Because if they’re reading this they know shit from shinola, which is an old way of calling someone stupid if they don’t know.

Hint: One is shoe shine, the other isn’t.

My regulars have heard this before: boomers are not that big in my blogger demographic. Millennials are.

When I mentioned this to a smart guy (a millennial) they said it’s because boomers aren’t staring at their phone desperately searching for something, anything, to change their life.

(Boomers hope for the same on shopping networks.)

More millennials scrolling for something means more wander onto boomerpdx.

It’s usually Reddit, but sometimes here, which makes me glad.

I love writers who give readers credit for knowing things, credit for common knowledge.

I give the same credit to my readers.

There’s a fine line between rambling and circling back to highlight a point with new information; it’s a tightrope I walk everyday, the ledge every writer goes out on.

That’s the self righteous part of a self righteous blog, generating enough momentum to write posts for a better tomorrow.

 

The Problem Solving Part

If this post finds you in China, India, or Ireland, forward the link.

If you find this post while you’re in Canada, Dominican Republic, or Belgium, forward the link.

Forward the link to show the United States blog readers you matter too.

Boomerpdx isn’t a social experiment, but if it was it wouldn’t last as long as it has, which is to say I’m no social scientist.

I cheer on readers to draw more eyes to this blog.

Why? Because I want you to change your mind.

Notice I didn’t say I wanted to change your mind?

Your welcome.

I’m not changing your mind on anything as much as I’m pointing out that you have a mind and you could change it if you wanted to.

With that in mind, let’s get on board with generational ambitions to uncouple from two-faced talkers, cut off preachy pecker-woods selling guilt trips for free, and work together for better harmony.

 

the situation in which people live or work happily together without any big problems:

 

Why harmony?

Because we’ve already seen, and continue to see, how things go without harmony.

Buildings explode, streets crumble, and people run for their lives.

At some point you may find yourself deciding to not run for your life.

Hopefully it won’t happen in a war zone, but people get tired.

If you’re a boomer trapped in a life of luxury and fashion, why not use it as a springboard for change?

At the very least, don’t mention it around people you don’t know.

They’ll think you’re one-upping them.