How refreshing it was to read Robert Wright’s article in the Ottawa Citizen December 2nd – “Generation Lie: Is it really the baby boomers versus ‘generation screwed?” Breaking down his lengthy discussion deserves more than one posting. For some years many books, articles, and media stories have talked about the “generational divide” in the 21st century.
But given the intensity of current economic and social tensions, Mr wright suggests: “Now is not the time to engage in silly pseudo-demography about competing generations, as if this alone accounts for the myriad problems facing young Canadians. It is time for serious people to start thinking about serious solutions.” Yes and that includes the problems facing older Canadians.
As this blog’s intent is to look at issues related to longevity, my ears are naturally tuned to listen for more of the common between generations as we face the future of an aging population. For if you accept the predictions of those who forecast life expectancy, within the next 50 to 100 years, today’s younger generations will well live longer than today’s Boomers.
This only says to me that the way we face economic and social issues over the near future will say a lot about how we have framed a positive legacy for and with today’s Gen Y. One of the things that irritates me the most is the way we treat each of these so called “competing generations” as if they were homogeneous cohorts. So, how will we live this decade in common?