"The Best Generation" - The Youth of the Depression

There is much to learn from the Old who once were Young... How did they manage-- when they had nothing to their names, only that which was presumably 'impractical' and 'immature,' when all they had was being devoted to each other-- and it works, for years and decades it worked, generation after generation throughout time?

Their numbers are dwindling, but the legacy passed on by those quite accurately labeled "The Best Generation" will continue on past their earthly lives-- those who came-of-age in the Depression Era, building a solid middle-class foundation based on standards and values which following generations have attempted to discard in favor of new lifestyles which are not truly satisfactory for anyone.

To think back on the stories of those who are now elderly and those who have already passed, wondering what they had or what they did which was so unique that today's generations have not been nearly as able to grasp, often due to unwillingness more than any other reason.

The youth of the Depression era not only grew up quickly, they indeed did grow up-- learning from a young age that excuses do not cut it, and that one's feet were made to stand on. It was not rare for boys who were still in high school to be drafted and sent overseas to serve in World War II, or teenaged girls to assume care of their younger siblings, or for teens of both genders to work to assist their families. They learned that when one's country or one's family was counting on them, making excuses was not an acceptable option.

They learned such basic truths as whatever is worth having is worth working for; that anything meaningful was worth waiting for; and that whatever one has, whether material goods or the people in life, are to be appreciated; demanding instant-gratification did not cut it either. They learned values, such as morality, decency, integrity and fairness in dealing with others, and most, like the elders in my own background, learned that the traditional family unit and the roles thereof were the best possible foundation for one's life.

Thinking back-- how did mere "kids" of eighteen or even younger form a decision at such an age, a decision which would hold for the next fifty years or more? As for all of the elders whom I have been honored to have known, they did not possess any special secrets; what they had, above all, was devotion and commitment-- the inner stability which not only allowed but led them to make promises and keep them no matter what, and that was the foundation which no number of difficulties or crises over the years ever managed to shake.

When people gravitate toward those with similar backgrounds and shared values, marriages and families and communities thrive. While the last couple of generations have had many more opportunities than their predecessors-- opportunities for higher education, travel, and the trend of marrying at a later age-- as the further one moves from one's place of origin, the further one also moves from people who share these similar roots. People come to the position of being expected to adjust, assimilate, be absorbed into lifestyles which are not their own, and sacrificing one's standards in favor of the "when in Rome, do as the Romans" notion does more harm than good. "The Best Generation" had a strong hold on their roots-- not only because of connections to family, but also connection to communities whose ways were like their own.

The Best Generation knew what worked and what did not; and, a factor which differentiates them from their descendants, they did not need to learn it by trial-and-error-- mistakes are not necessary for those who "got it right" the first time. They did not 'need' to abort their babies-- they knew that human lives were to be cherished; they did not 'need' to take phony words such as 'as long as we both shall love,' for they knew if the love was real to begin with it deserved a full commitment and all it took to stand by that commitment; spouses, families, jobs-- they knew that what one takes on, one stands by, for integrity, responsibility, and doing the right thing were not merely abstract concepts to adjust to one's own personal convenience, but rather the only right way. And if one is tempted to view it as outdated ideas, look at the comparisons between their later years and those of the generations which followed them-- in the winter seasons of life, they can look back on roads traveled and sincerely see lives well-lived.