My generation was a unique one. From the end of the second world war to the landing on the Moon, we were a generation that changed the culture of America and the world. the greatest generation set it all up for us with the sacrifice and bravery of winning a world war that, if wasn't won, could well have put us back in the dark ages. But they did win and we their children not only enjoyed the benefit of it but we went on and reshaped how people acted and thought for most within our society. There has been a falling away from our cultural advances and for that I am disturbed. But regardless the effect we had on life after the war was monumental.
We found that stereotypes were not a good thing, we found that expressing one's individuality was. We discovered that the mundane was unacceptable and forged new exciting lifestyles that fed our hubris. Which leads me to how I grew up. I played sports, studied and partied with the best of them. I was a bit of a renaissance man of my own time. I could fit in with the jocks, the stoners, the nerds and not miss a beat. I broadened my horizons to encapture many disciplines and chaoses as it were. So although I lost out on being great at a few things I was good at many. For me I was a young man full of life who traveled to harsh regions and worked/partied hard in physical occupations. Just like me to gravitate to work that not only required great strength but daring since much of it was as dangerous as work can get.
But now that I am older the hubris has waned and the physical abilities have subsided while the partying has stopped. What I have left is my meager belongings and the aches and pains of a rugged life lived at times, with a breakneck speed. Yet now I am more sedate and contemplative as a rule and limit my hard work to necessary goals. It is amusing to me that although I am nowhere near the man I used to be I still work like I am 20 years old, hard and fast but only in short intervals. My body tells me what I can do now and it barks at me loudly in short order. My mind is still sharp and for that I am most grateful. I can spend more time learning new things and understanding older things with the advent of the Internet. My early life was unique to me in that I rarely followed convention, yet it was for me the perfect path for my inner soul to mature and guide me to the peace and contentment I enjoy today despite the pain of the enduring of it.
We found that stereotypes were not a good thing, we found that expressing one's individuality was. We discovered that the mundane was unacceptable and forged new exciting lifestyles that fed our hubris. Which leads me to how I grew up. I played sports, studied and partied with the best of them. I was a bit of a renaissance man of my own time. I could fit in with the jocks, the stoners, the nerds and not miss a beat. I broadened my horizons to encapture many disciplines and chaoses as it were. So although I lost out on being great at a few things I was good at many. For me I was a young man full of life who traveled to harsh regions and worked/partied hard in physical occupations. Just like me to gravitate to work that not only required great strength but daring since much of it was as dangerous as work can get.
But now that I am older the hubris has waned and the physical abilities have subsided while the partying has stopped. What I have left is my meager belongings and the aches and pains of a rugged life lived at times, with a breakneck speed. Yet now I am more sedate and contemplative as a rule and limit my hard work to necessary goals. It is amusing to me that although I am nowhere near the man I used to be I still work like I am 20 years old, hard and fast but only in short intervals. My body tells me what I can do now and it barks at me loudly in short order. My mind is still sharp and for that I am most grateful. I can spend more time learning new things and understanding older things with the advent of the Internet. My early life was unique to me in that I rarely followed convention, yet it was for me the perfect path for my inner soul to mature and guide me to the peace and contentment I enjoy today despite the pain of the enduring of it.
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