The widely acclaimed “Greatest Generation,” those that came of age during the 1930s and 1940s are often and rightfully praised for the sacrifices they made throughout the Great Depression and World War II, their firmly held values, and the quiet unobtrusive way they conducted their post-WWII lives.
However, the subsequent Baby Boom Generation (born between 1946 and 1964) emerged as the most selfish, self-indulgent, self-absorbed, irresponsible generation in the history of America and exhibited the greatest example of generational groupthink in history. The following account is not intended to point a finger or condemn an entire generation, but rather to provoke thoughtful consideration and meaningful discussion.
The Baby Boomers presided over the fastest and greatest cultural collapse in history. It was the Baby Boomers who gave us:
- Woodstock
- Much of the chaos of the 1960s
- Replacement of love with lust
- Abandonment of personal responsibility
- An erosion of fundamental values
- Explosion of abortions
- Skyrocketing divorce rates
- Splintering of the family
- Alternative lifestyles that undermine and devalue the family
- Widespread “dumping” of children into day care centers
- Children to be raised by strangers
- Large-scale shuffling of parents or other inconvenient loved ones perceived as less than whole to adult day care centers or nursing homes
- Substantial concentrations of politicians and journalists of low character
- People in Hollywood and on television who used their God-given creative talents to tear people down, rather than build them up
- Multiculturalism that creates barriers to communications and relationships
- Deterioration of the school systems
- Removal of morality and religion and from public discourse
- Separation of rights from responsibilities, exhibited by pushing the Bill of Rights to absurd extremes that ultimately lead to anarchy
- Extreme political correctness, which stifles communication and the growth of meaningful relationships
- By far, the greatest national debt in history imposing a bone-crushing burden on our children and grandchildren
- Over-zealous government regulations that invade virtually every area of life
- A malignant national government that makes god-like decisions, ranging from life/death to a limitless array of minutiae
God says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” [Proverbs 22:6 KJV] Whose responsibility is it to “train up a child”? Day care centers and the schools cannot do it; at best, they are geared to educating the intellect. The churches cannot do it in only a few hours per week. Only the parents can do it!
Yet, many of the Baby Boomers effectively abandoned their single most important responsibility, raising godly children. Instead, the Boomers turned their children over to strangers to be raised. In the Boomers’ view, their personal desires trumped the needs of their children.
The Baby Boomers’ careers, recreational, and other self-interests trumped everything. Do not mess with the Boomers or disrupt their golf game, tennis match, hunting trip, fishing trip, career plans or anything else that they want. In addition, their sheer numbers enable them to demand and get virtually anything they want when they want it. Of course, there are exceptions. There are a minority of Boomers who determined early in life that they would live their lives according to God’s purpose and plan. God always has a remnant. [Romans 9:27 KJV]
The Baby Boomers notable successes are mainly intellectual and include people like Bill Gates and other high technology leaders. However, the magnetically powerful effect of the intellectual achievements has all too often crowded out the emotional and spiritual influences that give life its richness as intended by the Creator. Despite the enormous importance and usefulness of high technology it has had the unfortunate and perhaps unintended consequence of progressively isolating individuals.
A walk down virtually any street, through any mall, or through any airport quickly reveals that nearly everyone is plugged into some electronic device and therefore unavailable for even casual conversation much less thoughtful engagement. The Bible says that, “I come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” [John 10:10 KJV].
The abundant life lies in the richness of interpersonal relationships, beginning with the family. God seldom rewards the accumulation of “stuff,” but always rewards relationships when they are given a selfless priority. Yet, the “gift” of technology has all too often become a barrier to communications and the growth of interpersonal relationships. Indeed, the Boomer-spawned culture continues the relentless pursuit of stuff at the expense of relationships.
What do YOU think?
Dr. Lloyd Stebbins 
Honestly, I am so very proud of your writing, your thoughts and how your map of the past paved the way for the future to be no less than a disaster. There is a bone chilling sadness to see little children speak disrespectfully to their parents and to each other. Families seem to keep secrets from the family, not inside the family, like it was in the times I remember as a child. Home seems to be where families meet as they go where they shower and change clothes. Parents don’t look at all disturbed when their children wander in at any hour of the night. I believe that with television, the people saw so many kinds of actions and reactions that were different from their family ., churches, small town living with respect and care of the ones living near. People became curious about other places, moved out of their home towns to find jobs. It is now,. in the past twenty years that I have noticed most people are like stone statues, can step over people or kick them aside, not stop to help, even if they caused the accident. It is like an epidemic of bad behavior, and being told I was not in any position to dictate what is bad or good behavior, I concluded that they were correct in saying that to me. I will adjust that statement to say, that the human behavior pattern that is now imposed on me, is not the same as it used to be, when people respected each other, cared for each other, and were willing to help anyone in need of help, whether they knew them or not. Heart Hugs.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great thoughts, Sylvia. You may be interested in the comments by sgwheeler57 and my reply below.
Meanwhile, the progressive encroachment of evil on our beloved country, (people of faith would call it Satan’s plan of destruction) is not at all complex. It required only a few steps:
1) The seeds of slavery were sown hundreds of years before the United States existed. Eventual abolition required an additional 50 years and an incredibly bloody Civil War.
2) Charles Darwin published, “Origin of Species by Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life,” just before the Civil War and “The Descent of Man” just after the Civil War. Those books appeared to a) provide scientific sanction for the theory of evolution, b) triggered a worldwide eugenics movement (controlled breeding of people like horses and dogs) causing the annihilation of 150 million people in the 20th Century, and c) provided a basis for the claim that God does not exist. That claim unleashed all manner of evil. Hitler’s holocaust gave eugenics a bad reputation so we don’t hear the word much anymore. However, we do see the continuing effects of eugenic thinking manifested in abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.
3) The post-WWII American culture was anesthetized by an overdose of materialism. Dr, Francis Shaeffer would say that the Judeo-Christian value system was reduced to just two impoverished values–personal peace and affluence.
4) While the culture slumbered, the radical feminist movement lured massive numbers of women out of their homes, away from their increasingly vulnerable children whom the mothers had exclaimed at birth were “miracles” and/or “gifts from God.” When the woman leaves the home, love leaves like air out of a flat tire, turning the home into a house, the mere building where family members come to sleep at night, because they have nowhere else to go.
Walk into a restaurant today and see a “family,” i.e. mom, dad, and 2.5 kids sitting around a table. Every one of them is focused on a handheld electronic device. Even if they are one of the dwindling number of biological families, they simply don’t even know each other. That is tragic!
Scroll down several blog messages below this one to see a post identifying the awesome advantages of the Biblically described traditional family. Other remedies to come in upcoming blogs. What do you think?
LikeLike
I agree yet disagree with your thoughts. The FreePeople movement began in the 60’s. The Vietnam War, Woodstock, The Weatherman Underground, Black Revolution – began when I was a young child. The Communist influence on the college campuses was evidenced by these events. LJB’s The Great Society pushed us over the edge, losing generations of black families, removing their sense of accomplishment and self respect. Big Government finished it off by disencentivizing marriage – paying women to have children without the benefit of marriage that filtered its way down to the rest of society . Hollywood completed the cultural shift by normalizing that which is not normal. The Circle of Immorality is complete and it is the remnants of We the People left to fight for our children and grandchildren until we can fight no more.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re right on all counts. However, the Baby Boomers are victims as much as perpetrators. They were caught in the vortex of a perfect storm that compromised the young emerging Boomers physically/intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Two of the three major compromises were unwittingly unleashed by their parents, often and rightfully called, “The Greatest Generation.” That three-way compromise reached the depth of Boomers’ souls. That will be the topic of an upcoming blog as well as other destructive factors above and beyond those you cited.
Incidentally, what do you call a hippie with a haircut and a suit? –A Congressman of course! It’s the hippies of the 60s and 70s that currently run our government, the media, the educational systems, and nationally known entertainment. The hippies eventually had to get a job to feed their families, but they would never work for what they used to call the industrial/military complex, often referred to as, “the Establishment.”
Hence, they now control every other major institution, acting out their hatred of corporations and capitalism. They conveniently ignore the facts that the clothes they wear came from a corporation as does the vehicle they drive, the fuel for the vehicle, the house in which they live, the food they eat, the drugs they take to preserve or restore their health, and all the devices they use for recreation. Virtually, everything necessary to support, sustain, and enjoy life comes from the corporations that the aging Boomers seek to destroy. Imagine that! What do you think?
LikeLike
A sad but legitimate indictment of our culture. Little wonder that millennials believe themselves “entitled” to so much. What else were they taught?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anna, here is my blog on what the current generation is being taught in the public schools: https://wordpress.com/post/lloydstebbins.com/1009
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person