Oh, whatever....

 

 

"The difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know, and I don't care!"

One of my favorite TV commenters had an excellent talking point this past week. It covered the state of our electorate. One of the things he said which really resonated with me is many of the younger folks (millennial types) are just plain apathetic. Some are "low information", but others just don't give a hoot about much.

Part of me thinks I don't really blame them for tuning out. After all, it is my generation that really screwed things up. You know - the "flower children" who never grew up? The "you do your thing and I will do my thing" group. The live for today, and let tomorrow bring what tomorrow will bring. The sixties mentality of hedonism, nihilism, self gratification and selfishness which has stained our society and stunted our growth.

The other part of me want to take these young folks by the shoulders and shake them - and shake them hard. WAKE UP! This is becoming your country - you need to live here, you will own it. You need to help us un-screw it, so the generation following you has HOPE once again. I can't go back in time and fix things that my generation screwed up. Lord, I wish I could. I will pledge to you this much - there are some of us that are not "kool aid" drinkers that want to help you fix this place. But to do so, we all need to pay attention and most of all, care.

When I was first out of business school, I car pooled with my boss and another man (we lived over 30 miles from where we worked). One day, my boss came up to me and asked if I minded another rider. It was a Episcopalian Priest who was on a sabbatical from his church and was doing some tech writing for the company. I whole heartedly agreed. The priest (Ted) joined our car pool as a rider (as he did not drive).

I was amazed on how smart and engaged Ted was. Without sounding arrogant or like a "know-it-all", Ted was very well versed on most all topics we discussed. One day when Ted was not riding with us, I mentioned to my boss how impressed I was with Ted's understanding of world issues and problems. My boss replied, "That is what happens when you read and stay engaged." My boss was right - Ted was a voracious reader and had a mind like a sponge.

To the next generation, let me say this. Try and be like a "Ted". Don't vote for someone just because they are cool or trendy. Many millennial types voted for the President's re-election just for that reason. Vote for people who have real solutions to real problems. Be concerned about the national debt and how we can fix it. Failure to address it will result in a nebulous or bleak future for you and generations to come. Don't accept the "new normal" on employment as unfixable. It can be fixed. We can be great once again. But it will take guts, innovation, and (yes) change. Change that makes sense, not just a campaign slogan.

Lets wake up, stay informed and get to work. You can blame my generation from now until the cows come home. You would be justified in doing so. However, that is not going to fix the problems. Your two biggest enemies right now are ignorance and apathy - don't them win the day.