Saturday, January 13, 2007

And the beat goes on...

Interesting and sad statistic I heard today: the most common age for death by drug overdose is now around 45 according to The Office of National Drug Control . How sad is that? One more indicator that my generation is continuing its downward spiral that began 40 or so years ago.

A man reaps what he sows.
~Galatians 6:7

We in our generation have sown much that needs to be weeded out. We raised the banner of "if it feels good, do it" and it is continuing to kill us. It is sad that at the age when many of our forebearers (and offspring) were and are fighting for the freedom of their country and raising new families on next to nothing, we were "turning on, tuning in and dropping out".

The fact that many of us are now dying of drug overdoses says a lot about our unformed consciences and our lack of ability to cope. It is an indication that all of us need something outside of ourselves to focus on and work towards, for the inevidable death we will reap is not merely a physical one. And, no matter what our personal situations, we have something--Someone--outside ourselves--God. God is love. He is also justice. He will not be mocked.
For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways."
~Psalm 95:10
Everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must render an account.
~Hebrews 4

6 comments:

  1. but the generation before us, our parents--the Leave It To Beaver generation started it becuase the women were using lots of valium with their "cocktails." They were pushed into "conspicuous consumption" by carefully marketing campains while being the first generation of "homemakers" to have gadgets and machines to do everything for them. Preschool and kindergarten started in this era (in a widespread way). Wonder drugs replaced generations of careful nursing that women naturally did for their families when sick. Let's not mention TV and old addictive radio shows that started in the parents of the baby boom. Why didnt they have any time to interact with us except for yearly family vacations? Their doctors condiscendingly told them to tune out totally during childbirth, emphatically NOT to breastfeed. Not even to bottle feed us except on a rigid schedule. Not to harm us by picking us up when we cried. Convenience foods, canned foods and perservatives started in their generation also (although not yet "fast food." So they had nothing to do and were encouraged not to interact with us. Socalled "experts" did everything. I agree wholeheartedly with Dymphna and yet I feel no wonder our generation tuned out on illegal drugs, then flocked to 12 step programs in record numbers, and then went to therapy and now we are on respectable perscription meds to deal with our moods. With all out parents new found freedoms and conspicuous free time (leisure time also was a new phenomena in our parents day) our parents made us feel like we were a burden. Even as toddlers we played at their feet curiously unconnected with them. They couldnt be bothered. No wonder our generation rebelled and sought a new utopia and went on mind bending drugs. When I think of my years of getting degrees and then learning a new difficult job skill and finally having a 2 hour commute and the years of swing and graveyard shifts as my final reward, all while homeschooling, making bread from scratch, teaching sunday school, and employing the new , novel parenting technique of "talking to your kids" about drugs, telling them you love them, social and emotional concerns I am appalled at how I was raised. I'm sorry to say it but even while we were working out of necessity (even if it was part time or after they were in school) our parents where uncomfortable with the grandparent role and wanted boundaries and were vaguely "busy" when asked to pitch in and connect with us and our families. Our generation will be on drugs/substinces from cradle to grave becuase of a lack of LOVE from our parents. They wwere always vaguely to busy and to respectable to love us. In todays generation, the druggies are predominantly from bad, poor homes with single parents, neither of whom went to college, many were abused by parents with outright untreated mental illnesses. But the hippy generation- the average kid was on drugs of some sort, tuned out, rebelling etc. Becuase the average parent back then was too busy experimenting in "leisure" to interact with us and show us love. Cradle to grave we are medicated in some way. I think most of us have been shown much more love and affection from our children than our parents. Thank God for the faith and even occvasional attention from my grandparents and the fact that I was to medically ill with various severe medical problems to tune out with illegal drugs but there is always psychiatry. I am jsut saying there is a cause to problems of the hippee baby boom generation. They were not given the raw materials to thrive emotionally. And the new generation has to deal with divorce, the necessity of two paycheck families and terrorism. But even with that I see that they are loved and statistics show that parents moms and dads who are working full time spend more interactive quality time with their kids than a generation ago.

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  2. One more thing, I have spoken with African American friends and while we had the golden age of the 50's and early 60's with at home moms lounging around playing bridge they were at home cooking and cleaning becuase their moms were maids in our houses. Unbelievable to hear our moms often had maids and also didnt work and didnt homeschool!

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  3. Oh my gosh that felt good! Sorry everybody! hehe :)

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  4. There is always an antecedent to everything, that's true. I heard the theory just recently that the men coming home from WWII wanted nothing more than sameness and security after seeing war. The artificially perfect '50's were born from that need. And, as you say, the 60's were born from *that* need. Each generation has its own "demons" to conquor, I think.

    The older I get, the more I think that we cannot look for love outside of our Creator who *is* our "perfect Parent". I treasure my own Catholic faith because we have a perfected family in Heaven--an Almighty Father and a Blessed Mother who love us.

    Here on earth, I try to live the Serenity Prayer. (Oops, there goes my generation's affinity for the 12 steps!)

    God, grant me the serenity
    to accept the things I cannot change,
    the courage to change
    the things I can,
    and the wisdom to know the difference.

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  5. I agree. I'm reading this 1914 book on early sufi mystics--by a Persian/Arabic scholar from the west--they were much like our Catholic saints. And the recurring theme is God is our ONLY Lover, Parent, Friend etc. It said religion is about plurality (diversity)but spiritualty is about Unity (small c catholic!!). It's true God is All and there is nothing else. Love cant come from anywhere else. BTW several Christian and Christian-like denominations have sprung up out of the 12 step movement-- no shame in borrowing one of thier prayers--especially if you need it (speaking for myself)!!

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  6. In spite of the fact that current 12 step programs use the term "God as you understand God", originally, it was Judeo-Christian based, as far as I understand.

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