Friday, August 5, 2016

I'm Sorry

I have been thinking about this post for several weeks, resisting it, believing that it might be too pessimistic. But I now believe it is more realistic than pessimistic so here it goes.  I am apologizing for my generation.  I apologize to my kids, I apologize to your kids.  My generation has blown it.  We are leaving the next generation a world much darker than what our parents left to us.

Throughout my young adult life, I cannot remember a time when it was more difficult to just get by. Jobs were easy, and although the pay was not high, neither were the prices of basic commodities. Today most jobs are in the service industry, and thus low paying. The cost of goods and services are high.  It's tough for young adults to achieve the quality of life my generation was afforded.

While I am not specifically to blame and neither are my friends, family or acquaintances, we are collectively to blame. We established the environment that led to the present. We made poor choices that created this world. My generation has created the current political, social and economic chaos that dominates modern life.

Politically, we demonstrated suicidal apathy by allowing politicians to lie to us, and to promise what they would do but never follow through. We did not demand honesty or integrity at any level. We believed the other elected officials are the problem, but the ones we elect are wonderful and we continued to re-elect them. Now we have politicians that blatantly lie and obfuscate, that are not transparent even as they claim to be.  Today's politician see no downside to unabashedly violating the laws they created for commoners, and they would never think of apologizing or repenting.  In short, our elected officials are criminals.

Our political parties are stubbornly ideological, and exist to breed polarization. If someone disagrees with you, they must be intolerant, racist or [fill in the blank]-phobic.  Our political tribes grow polarization in their members and foster hate and discontent. Their only goal is to win, regardless of the price in money or morale. The American political system is in shambles and I apologize to the next generation for what we hand them.

Socially, we have extended the 1960's mantra of "If it feels good, do it" and now reap the results. Truth and morality have become relative. If it's right for you, then no one should say it is wrong. Life is devalued. Purity has become a joke. Political correctness has replaced logic and reason. Civil rights have expanded to include deviant behavior. If you feel offended, somebody is to blame. Basic rights no longer come from our Creator, but are endowed by our government. The Constitution that served us so well for 200 years, is suddenly obsolete. No wonder the next generation is confused and wandering. We set that example and for that, I apologize.

The new normal economy features anemic growth to ensure that nobody can get more than their fair share. The lower production creates a downward spiral where government can no longer collect the revenue needed to finance entitlements used to purchase of votes of the dependent. Open borders dilute the earning power of young people just entering the job market, and create significant burdens on government funded safety nets. The affluent areas of the country are only those who can feed on the government largess.

And nobody seems to care. For the past few elections, I have hoped that something wonderful would happen. I had hoped the electorate would become very selective with who they choose to lead them. That we would hold elected officials to be true to their word, do what they said they would do, and act with integrity. And if they didn't, we would fire them. But we haven't and my generation is mostly to blame. I'm sorry.

The result is that we now have two horribly flawed candidates for president. Neither would have been acceptable for any political leadership position just a generation or two in the past, but now they both have strong followings. Coupled with an inept congress, the future holds more polarization, more social and economic decay.

The only hope is 2 Chronicles 7:14.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

My pessimism is that I can do nothing to change America's course.  My optimism is that I know who can.

1 comment:

  1. Kudos... on a scathing, but accurate assessment of the role and responsibility of my generation. And a great illumination of that which our future depends.

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