Generation Hope

"Generation Hope"

Jill Westerholm


When I was just a toddler, singer Marvin Gaye came out with the song "What's Going On?" featuring introspective lyrics about drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War. The generation just ahead of me, was in their 20s at this tumultious time our nations history. They had already been saying "What's Going On?" for quite a while about these issues and many more.

My generation was raised mostly by Parents who were essentially teens of the 50's doo-wop Sandra Dee age, they were old enough to head out into the Vietnam war however and did catch a little of the hip Make Love Not War craze. But not us. Let be honest....What have we done? More and more it seems as a collective we apparently have no interest in raising cane.

My parents real focus seemed to be The American Dream. Working hard, getting good grades and making it big. We are a product of and alot like our parents in that respect. We just never thought of protesting in our 20's! At least not anyone I knew or read about. At 18, I was already on the radio broadcasting fast track, and pretty well read, I think I'd have heard about it. Only widespread outburst that I can recall was actually deeply frustrating chaos more then controlled activism or anger over social issues. That was the L.A Riots of the early 90s. And what did we learn from those images? 30 years of pent up anger seemed to be something we should avoid at all costs. I know. I was in middle of it. I wrote about it here on the anniversary some time ago and you can search for it for a more in depth look back but let me just say, I was in Milwaukee for a job interview. Downtown. I had never been to Milwaukee. Milwaukee had a high poverty rate and is 30% diverse. Needless to say, the city was volatile and tense and I was happy to have my husband with me on the trip.

My generation, now in our 30s and 40s, has always been more caught up in our 401 K's then what Washington's up to. My husband and I's experience is vastly different then the majority of our peers. But I can't say I'd be much different if I had the road they've earned and been given. They own second homes, two new cars, travel often, eat out often, their kids go to private schools all the way through College. Their garage is the size of the average HOME in the 1950s. Why would they want to protest? Are you nuts?

That is until now. Until the tremors of the Recession. The economy growing to a halt. Debt rising both in their own pile of credit cards and their childrens college tuition and for their college age children who also have to incur more debt then ever before. The newest graduates this week studies show are majoring in Debt.

Climate Change is a growing concern. Terrorism. Torture and grave Human Rights violations. Class warfare. Health Care. Civil rights. Education. Religious scandals are everywhere. Freedom of Press threatens our democracy, we barely heard a whisper when paid Government officials went on the 24 hour news channels to sell us a pre-emptive war! How could we count on the Press when for all intensive purposes they are all "in bed together?" Not to mention growing Government ineffectiveness and lack of unity not seen since the Civil War. To the extent that death threats come in to those with opposing views, lynching pictures are faxed in to black Congresspersons, and an active and very pro-Life member of U.S. Senate is yelled at on the hollowed floors of the Capitol "Baby killer!" Should I go on or will you need an anti-depressent?

Right now, we are seeing SOME building grass roots activism, and I applaud it. 700 workers from 20 states recently stormed into a Bank of America executives neighborhood, one of the wealthiest corners of Washington. If you don't know about it, don't feel bad, the mainstream media is once again not covering it. Somewhere along the line our mainstream media became beholden to Corporations not any Power to the People type movements! I mean real Power to the People movements. Sure, there's the "Tea Parties", but they are really just racist,bigotry and ignorance conventions.

It can, at times, be overwhelming and disheartening at how slow the Emergence has been. How uncertain. How daunting. As the heartbreak continues. On and on it goes. Katrina. Poverty rates. Immigration discrimination. Ravaging of Mother Earth. Minority issues. Sexism. Dysfunctional government. Corporate America running Washington. Big Oil controlling Government on the top of Corporate World- Exxon, and Bp.

But alas, all is not lost. Before we rebuild the pillars of our society we must tear them down.

Or watch them fall. And that is where we are today.

Then what?!

New modalities, creations, structures..beyond what the human mind can comprehend!

I'm grateful recently to realize that there is alot of Hope coming from the children today. These children are bi-products of those of us who are awakened to the New Earth and the promise of a Heaven on Earth "reset". They Believe! They believe it not only could be better, it should be better, it has to be better or it will not work, it will not come.

They are on the cusp of real reform. There are a few of these bright sparks already coming into the work force. There are already thousands of college Graduates coming out into the world. And it only steadily builds from there.

They see no need to make a fuss about same sex marriages. They see old working models in our education, legal, health, technology, government and 40 hour work week as outdated. They think it's time for clean energy. In short, they get it.

They are of course passionate about Mother Earth, about human (and immigration) rights, and have a little fire inside if you listen to them. Surprisingly,
it's not displaced anger! And listen, a little anger never hurt anybody if it's energy is put in the right place and is in fact required to change our World!

Eckhart Tolle mentioned on the radio show I spoke with him that the awakened young adults should go into Politics if they think our system is broken, they should become active in their communities to change structure of local government if it's not working, become brokers if they want to reform Wall Street, and on and on.

We ARE capable of being heard! The Generation before me proved that! They spoke up for and made signficant change in areas of womens rights, civil rights, G.I. rights/G.I. bill and Peace...helping to finally end the Vietnam war!

So when these kids speak today of the young girl who bravely spoke up to Mrs. Obama about her mother not having her papers at a book reading, when they ask us "What will happen to her Mom?!" And when they ask "Whats 100 tons?" when asking about the latest efforts to try to stop the Underwater volcano of oil spilling all over the Gulf. When they ask..."WHATS GOING ON!?" engage them, talk with them. Plant the seeds. And remember, he or she may just go into Finance, Politics, Immigration Law or Environmental law!

Ask them: "What are you going to do about it?"

Then Listen, and realize, they probably will save us all. Just because WE- you and I- may not be truly be able to do all that much to change the System- to get us over the chasm....They can, our kids generation can. They must

And listening to them, you feel they will do it! You are filled with real hope.