Now and Then
Information:
- Source: The Emperor’s New Clothes Notebook
- Key: F Major/D minor
- Measures: 30
- Parts: Cello and Piano
- Duration: 3:09 min
- Pages: 5
“The last generations’s worst fears become the next one’s B-grade entertainment.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, Flight Behaviour
Eight billion humans sharing the planet earth, and everyone has a story to tell. We smile and cry, we get happy and sad, and we do not need to be in a beauty pageant to desire, desperately, world peace. The thing is, we are a unique, emotional bunch of individuals reacting, in so many different ways to the same problems. I would like to think that, perhaps, we do have more things in common than we are willing to accept.
Everyone has a story to tell, it is up to the listener to accept it as it is, or give it a judgmental interpretation. Eight billion humans, I can’t emphasise that number enough; and yet, here we are, all trying to survived in an enclosed sphere that we’d called planet Earth.
It’s a very natural way for us to encapsulate every single living person into a “Generation”, thus: Grandparents, parents, sons and daughters, all belong to a different moment in time. Therefore, each group, for example; takes a special meaning, because their members share a crucial life circumstance, forming a tight bond around that experienced. Life experiences are what defines us as a group, as well as individuals.
The concept of Generations has been around for centuries, but it differs from culture to culture, writers go to and fro analysing data to finalise their research. In the United States, in particular; the generations are defined more or less as follows:
Greatest Generation: Born 1901-1924.
Silent Generation: Born 1925-1945.
Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964.
Generation X: Born 1965-1980.
Millennials: Born 1981-1996.
Generation Z: Born 1997-2012.
Generation Alpha: Born 2013-2025.
As I write this letter, there are people from the seven generations currently living on the planet. But what all this labels really mean?, Well, in a practical way, NOTHING really. It is simply a label. But it is very entertaining _ from the statistic point of view_ to know the why’s and who’s of each one.
The problem with defining specific characteristics to Generations is that affects our individuality, for instance; I know Millennials acting and thinking more as researchers expect a Baby Boomer would do; and vice versa, there are a great number of Baby Boomers that are more openly progressive on social and political issues than said, Generation X.
Some authors write loosely about generations, making sound more like the Zodiac signs, implying that if you were born in this year or that one, your are certainly to be this or that way. A 2007 Pew Research centre report called “Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change”. As I read that_ sitting on my comfy chair this morning_ I thought the article was talking about the Aries sign. We are being a product of today, nothing else, nothing more.
I am Generation X, and I am tired of these articles pitting one generation against the other. Last week; Boomers leave messy tables in restaurants. This week: Generation Z don’t tip. Next week: Millennials will be mean to their letter carriers. Last week the article I read with a picture of stacked plates on the table. It was boomers that left clean tables and Generation Z were pigs. We were also great tippers and Millennials were lousy. Enough!
Characteristics of generations are NOT absolute. To give you an example: Personally, I hate iPhones, I think they are a rotten plague to our society, (Bless your heart dear Jobs) and yet, my neighbour _ which is eighty years old _ loves the technology and even connects to Facebook to talk to friends and family. Well, what can I said?. It could only be, that my neighbour is smarter or just plain bored with a lot time in her hands. I do not know.
But, here we are, eight billion people, each with a story to tell, whether you are from this generation or that one, at the end of the day, we humans, have more things in common than what we are willing to accept. But I’m sure you get my point.
I wrote this piece while I pondered in all the things parents do differently compare to their children. Written in a moderate tempo, this dance-like piece with a short repeated rhythm bass line pattern, consists of primary chords, and it is becoming my favorite to play. Hopefully, when you listen to it, it makes you dance. Meanwhile, think of the cycle life really is, where the current generation has to advice the next and wink at the last.
Enjoy!