Recently a brief encounter with a book titled "The Greatest Generation," written by well-known news personality Tom Brokaw in 1998, started me thinking about the changes in individual attitudes I have observed in my lifetime.
If you are unfamiliar with the book (and I confess to having heard of it but never having read any of it), it is a series of personal stories about a generation of American citizens who "came of age during the depression and Second World War." It relates how some were affected by those events and how they adjusted to rebuild their lives after the war ended. Any individual raised by those persons who were tempered by those events probably share many of the questions, overwhelming emotions and concerns for the future that my brief period with the book brought to mind. Tom Brokaw's book, nor any book covering the period could describe all the situations that occurred in the lives of the millions of Americans who survived those years but this is a great attempt to share some of their stories. Whether he intended to challenge every succeeding generation to pause and give thanks, or if he simply wanted us to set a higher standard for ourselves I do not know. He did however, produce a wonderful collection to keep us thinking about that period of our history and perhaps inspire us to try to contribute to the legacy of our current generations.
On the inside flap of the front cover of the book the following quote spoke volumes to me about the common purpose of those who returned from "the War" and blended into a society with those who had served at home in the factories and in every other support effort that brought about the positive outcome of the war:
"This generation was united not only by a common purpose, but also by common values -- duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country and above all, responsibility for oneself."
I don't know if that was a Tom Brokaw quote, or a comment from the editor, but our nation and the world needs a leader who can instill those "common values" in a new generation accustomed to instant gratification and government support for leisure.
We as a society have lost sight of many of the attributes that the "Greatest Generation" had developed over the Depression and Second World War period. Many will say this is a bit cynical, but my generation is the benefactor of the attributes that generation developed to survive and rebuild. However, I fear in many ways we were weakened by the very success of those who showed us the way because we didn't have to pay the price personally, but built on their efforts and sacrifices. We have somehow allowed ourselves to be encouraged to look to the federal government for the solution to all our problems. The idea of self-sufficiency, so obvious in those of the Greatest Generation, has been replaced with a desire to cure all of societies problems with food stamps, government subsidized housing and other welfare programs. Many have produced unintended consequences.
When having more children increases the size of the welfare check, or the payment of benefits for not working provides the same lifestyle as being employed, we have a society that has moved away from self-reliance. These programs may get the politicians re-elected but the sense of self-esteem that comes from being employed and contributing to society is lost. What kind of leadership can the head of that household offer the next generation if they have allowed their independence to be bought so cheaply ?
If ever our nation needed a leader who was a product of the stress of those years, it is now. Tragically there doesn't seem to be any of them available but we can test the current list of candidates by the same standard achieved by that generation. We need a leader, who has had the courage and insight to concern himself or herself with the responsibilities today, rather than worry about where to locate their library, or want to plan their place in history books of the future. As we brace ourselves for the influx of information on the candidates seeking the position of our next president may we have the wisdom to sort the truth from the lies.
•••
Editor's note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. He is a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Editorial on 06/03/2015