My hope for the young men and women transitioning out of high school and college classrooms and into the messy and challenging world outside academia is that they enthusiastically and unapologetically become our new greatest generation.
Greater greatests, if you will.
In 1998 journalist Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation” was published and met with adulation as he chronicled the lives of the men and women who came of age during the years preceding and including World War II.
“The Greatest Generation was formed first by the Great Depression. They shared everything— meals, jobs, clothing. They arose out of a clear and present threat to our very existence —and the call to arms by the Commander in Chief who rallied political allies and opposition alike,” Brokaw told a Mountain Journal reporter in a 2020 interview.
Today’s future have been shaped by similarly dire circumstances.
They were alive during the 2008 market crash after the housing collapse. They no doubt saw the toll the financial uncertainty had on their parents and their community. And they have lived through subsequent economic ebbs and flows that left many of their contemporaries feeling uncertain and helpless.
They watched as the COVID-19 pandemic stole the lives of millions of people globally, including 1 million in the United States.
They witnessed a domestic insurrection as supporters of then president Donald Trump tried to stop the transfer of power and unlawfully keep him in office another four years.
They have experienced the consequences of undeniable climate change and while they have not directly been embroiled in a war on behalf of their county, they are living in a time when authoritarians the world over are becoming more brazen in their contempt for democracy and the ideals we aspire to.
My foremost hope is that today’s young men and women have the luxury of avoiding death on a battlefield.
My next hope is they collectively work toward a future in which the income and healthcare disparities that assailed their families and neighbors are levelled, and perhaps made to favor those who are in most need.
Finally, I hope they continue to value democracy and learn to appreciate the rewards of selfless endeavors.
