As I See It #9

In light of recent events and with a different perspective than I used to have, I can see that in the past I had a set of assumptions about my country that I now question.

Most fundamentally, I never wondered about the durability and permanence of America as a democracy.  I assumed our institutions were strong.  I assumed we were a country that honored the rule of law.  I assumed that even though I may disagree with this or that happening right now, in the end things will turn out OK.

Back in the day I was often a critic, but I see now that my unconscious assumptions left me unaware about possible threats to our basic way of life.  I could say "It can't/won't happen here" and really mean it.

The veil has been lifted.  These days the threats are palpable, real.  The Supreme Court is radically conservative.  The Congress is gridlocked.  The Executive Branch has little power.  So the checks and balances that we count on to maintain our democracy aren't working.  If there is light at the end of this tunnel I can't see it.

I'd like to say that it isn't too late to save what we hold dear.  But saying it won't make it real.  Action is needed.  Constructive action and a strong dose of courage!  

As I See It #8

Not surprisingly, I find today's decision to overturn Roe v Wade deeply disturbing.  Not surprising because if I had been commenting on this earlier in life my upset would be the same.

Which brings me to the question: How much are our opinions firmly in place long before we get old?

In my case I would say that at the most basic level, my feelings of right and wrong, what I stand for, my orientation in the world, are much the same as they were 60 or 70 years ago.  I can see a few changes.  For example, from a political point of view I am less to the left and more in the middle than when I was a young man.  But fundamentally I don't see much change.

My expectations about how things will turn out are lower now than in the past, which leads to pessimism or even cynicism.  I am more likely to be a curmudgeon.  But when I get to that place what kicks in is the realization that being a cynic doesn't help fix whatever it is that is upsetting me.  So I tend to moderate my pessimism or cynicism.

I could say that I've become a more thoughtful old man.  But even so, something like overturning Roe v Wade is depressing in the extreme.

As I See It #7

The Warriors are champions for the fourth time in the last eight years.  Go Warriors!

I watched every minute of the playoffs and found myself caring a lot about how we were doing.  Notice that I say "we."  I've always been amused by how easy it is to attach our ego to the teams we root for.  So "who I am" is at much at stake as whether the team wins or loses.  It is personal.

The question is whether this ego identification changes as we grow older.  Does my passion diminish as I see the world from a more mature perspective?  Answer: No!  Based on my recent experience as a Warriors fan, I can get as worked up about how "we" are doing as I did in the past.

So go Warriors!  Go Giants!  But don't go 49ers.  They went on my shit list when with bad management they became losers and abandoned San Francisco for a move to Santa Clara.  Seemed like betrayal to me.  

As I See It #6

I'm asking myself how much my attitude toward various things is affected by my age.  For example, I've noticed that when I read about climate change and how much the temperature is going to rise, say, by the year 2050, a quiet internal voice tells me that I'll be long gone, so how much should I really care.

My enlightened default position is that I am a caring person so this should matter to me even if I'm long gone.  But notice, the question comes up whether I like it or not.

The same issue rears its ugly head as I observe what seems to be the inevitable demise of America as a successful democracy.  Our democratic institutions seem weak.  Our deadlocked partisan divide make solutions to our problems impossible.  It's easy for me to bemoan the path we are on, but then again my quiet internal voice wonders whether I should really care.  We've had a good run.  I've been the beneficiary of America being #1.

If I were 25, or even half my age, 45, would I be entertaining these thoughts?  I don't know for sure, but I doubt it.  A more relevant question is should I empower my quiet internal voice and check out or remove myself from the conversation because I won't be alive to live with whatever happens?  

The honest answer?  I don't know.  For now, I'll stay in the question and let the process unfold.

As I See It - #5

I've asked myself why, when I look at the world around me, I often come to the conclusion that it's going in the wrong direction.  Things look bad and they're getting worse.

Maybe I'm just out of date, a cranky old man.  That could be, but its not the whole story.  After all, I organized my life so that I had a chance to make a difference.  I was proud of my country.  I was an optimist.  I had high ideals and was willing to work hard to see them realized.

So, I ask myself, what happened?  Here's a possible answer:  I feel betrayed.  And feeling betrayed is a very strong emotion.  My youthful idealism has not come to pass.  Was I wrong way back then to have had my ideals?  If I wasn't wrong, is there some one or some thing to blame?

The world is the way it is these days, whether I like it or not.  So on the one hand its a waste of time and energy to complain about it.  On the other hand I can retain my ideals in the face of the way it has turned out.  From the perspective of today I can empower a feeling of hopelessness, which doesn't seem very useful, or I can be true to myself, irrespective of the circumstances outside of my bubble.

So at least for today that's what I choose.

As I See It - #4

Generations are labeled these days.  The most recent is Gen Z (born between 1995 and 2010).  Before Z are the Millenials, and then Gen X, and before X the Baby Boomers.  I'm before all of them, from the Silent Generation, those of us born between 1928 and 1945.  So I'm five generations older than today's children.

Its no surprise that I don't see today's world or interact with today's world as do the more recent generations.  Its actually more than a disconnect.  Its a chasm that's impossible to fathom.  Not intellectually, which is a chasm I can cross over.  I can understand what its like for a teenager these days.  But what I cannot do is live life as Gen Z'ers do.  I can't have the experience of seeing the world as they do, as using Social Media as they do, as communicating as they do.  For all this I can only be an outsider looking in.

So, like it or not, the paradigm through which I see the world is with the eyes of one who grew up and was molded by the Silent Generation.  Given that today's world is so totally different than it was in my youth, is it any wonder that I'm often appalled by what I see going on outside of my homebound bubble? 

Its not all bad.  I live in and participate in the world as it is today.  I love that technology has in many ways improved the quality of our lives.  Its more a sense of frustration when I realize that I will never walk a mile in the shoes of those who will dictate what the future will be.