How Great We Were

 We have been trying to blame the quirks of this generation on the iPhone. That it is screens that are ruining our children. Technology is blamed for the corrosion of the nuclear family. Social media is the cause of teen suicide. And it goes on and on. Most of the people who say this are too young to remember previous generations and how their lifestyles were put forth as the end of life as we know it. Part of the problem is we fail to understand history and we tend to focus on ourselves as the most important generation to have ever lived. 

Every generation throughout history has one job and that it to do something memorable or to leave a mark on the world. Some generations have outside events like war or natural disasters to define them. Then it is a matter of how did we deal with life as it came to us. Some generations have innovation and creation that improves the world for the future. Whether it comes from within or without, every generation gets a chance to leave it's mark on the world. I think that only history will tell if something important to us was truly important. I think that blaming high tech is missing the point. Will history show that the iPhone was really revolutionary? Will anyone remember Facebook in the future?

It is foolish to criticize the younger generation for doing their best. What worked for you may not work for them.

My final thought is that it is too bad we outlive our usefulness and our relevance. So that we live out our lives reminiscing about how great we were.