We Need to Revisit the Late 60's and Early 70's to Re-learn Some Important Lessons

There is no doubt in my mind that during the late 60's and early 70's we were starting to learn some important lessons. Just when we almost touched on something great we lost our way. We seem to be massively careening off course to our own destruction. I am a people watcher. That is to say I watch people and their behaviors. What they do, say, believe, etc.

We are entering a new time in civilization. I will call this time "The Pompous Age". This is the age of too much information, too many options and unrealistic expectations. The children in our communities believe they all deserve to be rock stars and millionaires. Ask any teenager how they think their life will turn out and the most likely answer is rich and famous. Regular jobs that require hard work, consistency, real skills, learning, and respect for the general public are beneath them. Somehow our cultural and community values got lost in the dream. I so rarely come across anyone that wants or strives to be a decent and giving person. Very few of our children focus on their character, their morals, and their deeds rather than their fashion, their material belongings, and how famous they can become. You don't become famous as a teacher or a scientist or a volunteer for the Peace Corps. Volunteer? Are you kidding me...how much money will I make?

We have "lost that loving feeling" for our neighbors. Many people don't even know the names of their neighbors much less offer to help them if they get sick or fall upon bad times. The Late 60's and early 70's gave us a glimpse of what could be accomplished if we focused on being a giving and loving people. "Love one another" was the basic creed. It seemed like the people's consciousness was less focused on the monetary and more focused on learning to be a loving person. Not everything about that time was glorious and perfect, but it offered a hint of the kind of future we could have.

We tend to be an overly aggressive world. With all the information, conveniences, and options available we have become an impatient, agitated, and angry people. If someone gets cut off in their car, they want to chase that person down to yell at them. If you don't have a big screen television and a luxury car you are missing out on having the good life. What about that family who has no home tonight somewhere in your city? What happened to caring about other people less fortunate? Is our entire life about simply acquiring material goods for our own immediate family? Is our entire life simply about caring about what makes ourselves happy? Is our entire life simply about our own feelings and no one else?

We have a choice every day to be kind, to be patient, to be humble, to focus on improving other people's lives rather than our own. Ultimately there is more value in investing yourself in others than in just your own life. Strangers and unknown neighbors are only a conversation away from a wealth of new relationships. We have the power to change our own life and others lives into more positive experiences by genuinely accepting and loving each other with simple acts such as kindness, and charity, and understanding. The next time you feel frustration, try having patience, try releasing your frustration and change your thoughts to something productive. Your investment will change the world. It starts with me and you.