Written by Scott Miller
How old were you when the Beatles came to America on February 7, 1964? I was seven. As if it happened yesterday I remember grabbing a black, mop top wig from a bin at the Silco store next door to our apartment in Manheim, PA. putting it on my head and asking my mom, “What’s this?” Equally vivid is watching the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday night.
Protests against the Vietnam war began to ground swell in early 1964. John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 followed by Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. On August 15, 1969 four hundred thousand “hippies” flocked to Woodstock. The Kent State Massacre took place on May 4, 1970. It was an era of high ideals, activism and sky high dreams.
Baby Boomers, those 7 million people born in the U.S. between 1946 and 1964 have radically impacted the world at every stage of life. We are poised to do it again. Infamously identified as the “Me Generation” whose driving motivation was simple: “all I want is more now” has evolved. Our optimistic, idealistic, change is good attitudes, with an inherent drive to retool everything has turned to the cultivation of wisdom. Instead of “more now” a huge contingent is shedding their materialistic fad, looking for simplicity, community and spiritual awakening. In some respects a return to our ideals and dreams of doing right by the world and equality for everyone of the 60s but with all the knowledge and experience that comes with the understanding and wisdom of accumulated years. Activism today is manifesting itself as a harvesting of life experiences and the cultivation of modern wisdom for a modern world.
In the 60s we jumped on the activist band wagon then life and family and career responsibilities fell upon us. We tempered a bit but our sheer numbers had global impact. Imagine all the good we 77 million can do if we jump on the Modern Wisdom bandwagon and channel that wisdom in a way that restores the world while encouraging Generation X and the Millennials as they build their families, their careers and their lives during the 21st Century.
There are tremendous opportunities before us for extremely fulfilling lives filled with growing spiritual awareness, adventure, purpose and community. Many of us will be in good health beyond our 100th birthday. Think of the impact we can have if we re-embrace the ideals of our youth vowing to leave this world a better place for having lived.
We’re seeing this very thing at Garden Spot Village. Baby Boomers have been moving here for years and the level of positive activism is extremely encouraging, especially to me as a Baby Boomer. Together a group of us are in the beginning stages of shaping ways to help those who are interested in embracing all that they can be as a member of the baby boomer Wisdom GenerationTM. Keep an eye on our blog as we begin to tell more Wisdom GenerationTM stories.