April 25, 2008 · 1:31 pm

Rebuilding Lake Wobegon

Recently, I heard radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt interview Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais about their book “Millennial Makeover: MySpace, You Tube, and the Future of American Politics”. As Winograd and Hais outlined distinctive differences between the Millennial Generation and the Baby Boom Generation, my fellow Baby Boomer’s (Hewitt’s) reaction was to repeatedly say “Omigosh!”

Not long before I heard Hewitt’s interview, another fellow Baby Boomer directed me to the CBS News Website for a Morley Safer 60 Minutes segment entitled “The ‘Millennials’ Are Coming”. Maybe it’s the result of this Morley coming from the Silent Generation (a step closer to being from the GI Generation – aka The Greatest Generation), that led to him mostly just having his mouth gaping open, unable even to utter the expression “Omigosh!”, as he listened to emerging “experts” detail strategies for how to appropriately deal with the unconventional behavior of Millennials.

I think the most ridiculous reaction I’ve heard on this came from the authors of “Millennial Makeover: MySpace, You Tube, and the Future of American Politics”, themselves, when they likened the differences between Boomers and Millennials to the differences between Moses’ Generation and Joshua’s Generation. The authors’ assertion is that Boomers and Moses’ Generation were/are idealists while Millennials and Joshua’s Generation were/are civic-minded. Not only is this ridiculous, it’s Biblically inaccurate.

Though I do find these reactions to be ridiculous, that’s not to say that they’re not natural. In fact, they don’t seem to be that different from the reactions that my generation, the Baby Boomers, received from the GI Generation in the 60s and 70s.

When Hewitt posed the question, “What do they want?”, the Winograd/Hais answers were, “Wonderful family life…life that is filled with the riches of interpersonal relationships, and that has enough income so that they aren’t pressured enough on the income side … They want to leave America in better condition than they found it.” That’s not something that makes me want to say “Omigosh!” It makes me want to say “Amen Brother!”

When Morley Safer asked Wall Street Journal Columnist, Jeffrey Zaslow, who to “blame” for Millennials being such “narcissistic praise hounds”, he points to TV’s Mister Rogers and says, “He was telling his preschoolers, ‘You’re special. You’re special.’ And he meant well. But we, as parents, ran with it. And we said, ‘You, Junior, are special, and you’re special and you’re special and you’re special.’ And for doing what? We didn’t really explain that.” Zaslow may be right but, to me, it all sounded a bit familiar. Aren’t we, the Baby Boom Generation, the ones who fell in love with Garrison Keillor telling us about Lake Wobegon, “Where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average”?

Since the Millennials … aka Generation Y … aka the Echo Boomers … are the largest generation in American history … approximately 1 million more than the Baby Boomers … of course, they are a serious force to be reckoned with. But, hyperventilating while repeating the expression “Omigosh!” doesn’t seem appropriate. In fact, that sort of reaction will most likely result in widening the chasm between the Millennial Generation and its predecessors. And, by the way, there are reactions in the opposite direction that are just as counterproductive. When a Millennial sees a 60-year-old face; assumes that this is a person who can’t grasp the concept of Social Networking, Blogging, Wikis, RSS, Twitter, etc. and deals with that person based on that assumption; that widens the chasm too. What is needed is for both generations to recognize how much they have to offer each other and if the chasm must remain, at least to build a bridge across it.

From my perspective, the greatest value Baby Boomers have to offer Millennials is what I call “A Great Wealth of Wisdom.” My generation was lavished, more than any other, with education. Moreover, we were raised by the GI Generation, who instilled us with a great work ethic. That meant, not only did we get a great education, we actually went out and tried to accomplish everything we could with that resource and in the process, grew the resource by honing it with experience to create … “A Great Wealth of Wisdom.” Sadly, though, if we don’t find a way to transfer this “Great Wealth”, IT WILL DIE WITH US!

But, wait a minute! Doesn’t this “Great Wealth” sound like just the right resource for Millennials to add to what they already have, to attain what Winograd and Hais say they want? – i.e. “Wonderful family life…life that is filled with the riches of interpersonal relationships, and that has enough income so that they aren’t pressured enough on the income side … They want to leave America in better condition than they found it.” And, didn’t I say that hearing this makes me want to say, “Amen Brother!”? I did and when my fellow Baby Boomers get the chance to consider this, without the hyperbole added by those promoting their newly formed cultural consulting companies or their books or their radio shows or their TV programs, I believe the majority will react as I did. That, in fact, means that both generations want the same thing – i.e “…to leave America in better condition than (we) found it.” Getting this done will require us to proactively connect instead of reactively separating. I say, “What are we waiting for?!” When you consider that connecting these generations results in forming a team made up of people who are all “special” and “above average”, there’s no reason for us not to attain this goal that we owe the future of the nation that we’re blessed to live in.

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March 27, 2008 · 6:46 pm

America’s 21st Century Civil War

When asked about the state of the U.S. economy, Hillary Clinton first takes the opportunity to imply some similarity between John McCain and Herbert Hoover. At the same time, Senator McCain delivers a speech addressing, “Senator Obama’s fantasy plan for making us safer.” Meanwhile, Barack Obama compares Senator Clinton to Walter Mitty, in responding to her “mistake”, in recounting her visit to Bosnia, as First Lady.

I understand that these tactics are common, for providing political leverage but how do they help our nation? None of the three current Presidential Candidates mentioned are perfect but, though their approaches differ, I trust that each of of them actually have hearts to serve our nation. Why, then, do we so consistently hear these sorts of slams while we ALMOST NEVER HEAR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ANYTHING GOOD IN OPPONENT’S POSITIONS, that would in fact serve the best interests of our nation?

Maybe you agree with John McCain’s positions and maybe you don’t but he is unarguably a genuine National Hero. The late-night comics seem to be getting a lot of mileage out of repeatedly saying that McCain is “really old.” I get a laugh out of it and Senator McCain appears to too but isn’t it a shame that this sort of thing masks a greater truth … that, for a guy who was tortured in the equivalent of a kennel cage for six years, he looks pretty good? Then, he came home to continue to work tirelessly to serve his nation. With a guy like this, wouldn’t we be better off if McCain’s opponents were courageous enough to embrace the good they see in his positions and build on that? After all, McCain’s positions on Government Spending, Border Security, Environment, etc., haven’t always been completely in line with his party. Surely, there’s something in there that Clinton and Obama can draw on that would add to their strategies.

With Hillary Clinton, its not uncommon to hear about her “unlikeability.” Whether you want to have dinner with her regularly or not, you have to admit that she’s worked hard to prepare herself to serve and she has, in fact, worked hard in serving. Currently, she gets a lot of criticism for claiming “experience” through her roles as First Lady of Arkansas and then, of the U.S. Perhaps much of that criticism is deserved but, if so, she at least equally deserves consideration of that old adage about the most difficult instrument to play being second-fiddle. And, very obviously, her challenges were even greater, as the result of the “fiddling” of the one she was striving to support. You’d think that a person of her caliber would have some ideas about strengthening our middle class, our families and our schools that could be useful in the plans of her opponents.

Many question Barack Obama’s substance and the scrutiny his judgement is currently getting over the church he’s associated himself with for nearly 20 years seems legitimate. But the guy seems to have some desirable natural leadership qualities and he’s speaking out about a number of issues in our culture that have gone untended for far too long. With his intellect, surely he can contribute to a number of challenges but you’ve got to admit, he’s uniquely qualified to address some cross-cultural matters. Wouldn’t the U.S. culture benefit more if Clinton and McCain acknowledged their void in an area that Obama can so richly fill?

Unfortunately, our nation has drifted away from what I’m suggesting. Its a quality that made us great in the first place. Some think of it as Yankee ingenuity. I say its a greater strength that comes from the synergy of the best of our differing ideas. Instead, what we’ve gotten, for quite some time, is having those who say their purpose is to serve, pitting themselves against each other over any difference they can find. The most remarkable evidence of this is what’s known as “The Redstate/Bluestate Divide”, that became so obvious with the first Presidential Election of this century and millennium.

When Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel came out with their book, Common Ground – How to Stop the Partisan War That is Destroying America, I was hopeful it could start a groundswell of interest that would turn us back in a more productive direction in this regard. I even dreamed that my Presidential Candidate (now dropped out) would pick up on this and champion the cause. Neither happened and that’s a shame because I don’t think we’re just missing out on doing something good here. I agree with Thomas and Beckel that this is a “…Partisan War That is Destroying America.” I think of it as America’s 21st Century Civil War. Of course, it doesn’t really compare with our 19th Century Civil War but, much as was the case with the circumstances that led to The War Between The States, if these circumstances aren’t addressed and turned around, I believe it will continue to lead to our decline, as a great nation.

So what’s the solution? I think we should look to that first Civil War for the answer. There was no “groundswell of interest” to turn us back in a more productive direction. Instead, our country split in two … North and South … and gunfire broke out “across the aisle” between the two sides. It was the bloodiest war we’ve ever known. Thankfully, Abraham Lincoln stepped into that breech and proved himself to be one of our nation’s greatest heroes. Without Lincoln’s courage, its doubtful that our nation would have survived that time. Although the circumstances of the North/South Split differ from those of the Redstate/Bluestate Divide, the results could be as tragic. My hope and prayer with this is that a 21st Century American Hero will rise up and have the courage to step into this “Divide” before it leads to a point of no return in our nation’s decline. Does anyone see a true hero like this on the horizon? I guess we’ll know when we see one of these, who say their intention is to serve the public, changing the words they use and more importantly, changing their actions to match.

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January 16, 2008 · 10:53 pm

MLK v LBJ?! NO CONTEST!!!!!!!

Figgins has been confused about some recent incidents in the current Presidential campaign where some candidates have been accused of trying to “play the race card”. Thankfully, Figgins was born and raised in a time when race is much less divisive than it was when I was growing up. So, I’ve been drawing on my experience from that former era to help him understand.

Senator Hillary Clinton’s recent remark, indicating that President Lyndon Baines Johnson was more deserving of credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been central in this. Although I’m not able to look upon Mrs. Clinton’s heart, I told Figgins that I doubted if she had any malicious intent towards Dr. King, in making her comment. However, I went on to say that I do think her intent was self-serving political leverage and it led to a blunder that was harmful to everyone involved, including herself.

I don’t often think of Mrs. Clinton and her Husband, former President Bill Clinton, having much in common with me but, in this regard, it struck me that there are four things that we do have in common. (1) We were born in the 1940s, all within the same 14 month period. (2) We were all born and raised in the Midwest/Mid-South. (3) We are all White. (4) We all should remember how differently those who weren’t White were treated by the culture we grew up in and how very wrong that was.

If you don’t recall what our culture was like in the time prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or you haven’t studied it, I recommend that you find a book called Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, written by Clifton L. Taulbert. Clif was born in the mid 1940s too but he was born in the South, he isn’t White and his book does a good job of capturing what that time was like.

I can’t imagine anyone living in that time not noticing Dr. King and what was going on with the Civil Rights Movement. I certainly noticed. But, frankly, Dr. King wasn’t a hero to me then. However, one day I heard him say, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Those words were like seeds planted in me to bring about a much needed change in my heart. No doubt, those words impacted others differently but Dr. King and those striving with him deserve the credit for the plantings that brought about a much needed change in this nation’s heart and I suspect that included the heart of this nation’s President at the time, Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Its a shame that Senator Clinton would make such a self-serving and harmful comment. However, maybe its good that it happened, if for no other reason than to refresh our memory of how far our country has come since 1964 and how thankful we should be for those, like Dr. King, who were willing to live and in fact, to die to accomplish this. Its, also, a fond reminder to me of a time when my Wife and I got to worship with the flock at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Atlanta, where both Dr. King and his Father once served as Senior Pastor. The Bible Study that day was from Romans 8. Probably, the best known part of that Chapter is verse 28 … “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [His] purpose.”

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January 1, 2008 · 12:26 am

Honest Politician

NOTE: This article was originally published in A Few Days With Figgins.

Figgins has had increasing opportunities,in recent days, to witness the cynical view that most seem to have of American politicians. This can be summed up by saying that it seems to be, generally, accepted that the description “Honest Politician” is an oxymoron.

Figgins has, also, been witnessing how very discouraging I find this. That aspect really peaked today when one Presidential Candidate announced a decision to not run a “negative ad” that his campaign had prepared. My discouragement comes from the fact that I haven’t heard a single representative of the media express even the most vague possibility that what the candidate said was true … that he had given further consideration to what he was about to do and he had come up with the courage of his convictions and decided not to do it. This particular candidate is an ordained Baptist minister. He teaches from The Scriptures, which say, “let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay” … in other words, say what you mean and mean what you say. So why is there not even the slightest consideration from the media that this guy is doing just that?

One of the ironies in this is that the aforementioned “negative ad” was prepared as a response to a candidate who has been less than believable himself. As an example, he claimed that he had seen his Father, a former Governor of Michigan, march with Martin Luther King Junior. When confronted with the fact his Father had never participated in such a march, this other candidate said that he had only been speaking allegorically, that he knew his Father marched with King “in spirit”. For some reason, the media didn’t seem to greet this with the same level of cynicism they leveled towards today’s “negative ad” decision but it did provide another example of why, generally, American politicians are deserving of the media’s attitude.

So, maybe American politicians are getting what they deserve. They’ve, generally, proven that the description “Honest Politician” is an oxymoron. So, “Justice Served!” Right?! Well, what about us, Americans? Are we getting what we deserve? I have to say, “I think so.” Its not been that long since we twice-elected an adulterous Presidential Candidate who dodged the culpability of his philandering by questioning the meaning of what the word “is” is. And yet, instead of mocking and rejection, many still regard him as a heroic figure. As a matter of fact, there’s even the possibility that the next Presidential Election could result in a return to that same administration.

OK, so maybe we’re getting what we deserve too. But I say, “It doesn’t have to remain that way.” When you think about it, we’re actually getting what we are letting ourselves deserve. And, I say, “Let’s change that!” Let’s stop putting up with American politicians dodging the truth by letting them debate what the meaning of the word “is” is. Let’s stop accepting allegory, as an excuse for not being genuine. And, by all means, let’s continue to express skepticism about things like today’s “negative ad” announcement, if it doesn’t seem credible. But, shouldn’t we, at least, allow the possibility of an American politician saying what they mean and meaning what they say? If we don’t, what is their incentive to do so? Moreover, shouldn’t we be demanding this of our politicians instead of just accepting that, in our nation, the description “Honest Politician” is an oxymoron. By doing so, I think we end up deserving better and by being better from getting what we deserve.

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December 10, 2007 · 7:47 pm

Rediscovering America’s Strength

NOTE: This article was originally published in A Few Days With Figgins.

This past weekend, Figgie (Figgins) and I had a few discussions about the 2008 Presidential Campaign. It seems that this campaign has already been going on forever and its not even 2008 yet. The election itself is still about 11 months away. Its all pretty new to Figgie though and while he hasn’t registered to vote, he has seemed pretty keenly interested.

Our level of interest seemed to ramp up over the weekend, as a result of media focus on a certain “Celebrity Endorsement.” This isn’t a topic that generally carries much weight with me. However, Oprah Winfrey was at the center of this and though neither Figgie nor I are fans, we recognize her unique celebrity status. The factor that stirred my interest most was that she wasn’t just lending her name, as an endorsement for a candidate, she actually showed up at a few campaign events to say why. So, we tuned in.

I ended up telling Figgie that I was disappointed with what I heard. Generally, there were comments about need for change, followed by the name of the candidate she is endorsing, as the preferred change-agent. This is a theme I’ve heard countless times, for numerous candidates (both real and fictitious), since before I was old enough to vote. What I didn’t hear was much substance about the need for change or details of the “something better” we need to change to or specifics of plans for accomplishing these improvements.

So, there we were, with our interests stimulated but not gratified. What were we to do? Well, the first step was pretty obvious … we needed to face the fact that, going into it, we knew better than to expect much from a celebrity endorsement. And, frankly, we had to admit that our critique of the event was pretty obvious and easy. Those steps taken, we decided to check a source with a track record of fulfillment for us, when it comes to political observation … Charles Krauthammer … a Syndicated Columnist who, when I see him on TV, I spontaneously shout, “My hero!”

To my astonishment, we came away from reading Krauthammer’s column for this past Friday, in The Washington Post, with a sense of disappointment too. His comments were about one Presidential Candidate’s Evangelical Christianity and how he had used that to “manipulate” another candidate into having to discuss his Mormonism. As usual, Krauthammer expressed his views intelligently and interestingly but, at the end of it all, he just pitted one candidate against another, based on their differences.

But then it struck us! Ironically, we realized that “My hero”, Charles had actually come through. He had pointed us in the right direction by pitting one candidate against another. We realized … that’s what they all do. Regardless of the forum, its Democrat against Republican, Left against Right and Pro versus Con on: abortion, energy, environment, immigration, Iraq, taxes and pretty much any issue you can think of. How does that make us better? I don’t think that’s what led to our success, as a nation, in the first place. At the outset we pitted ourselves against Britain to gain our independence but we didn’t do it just one person’s way. I seem to recall that we drew on the best of the differing ideas of those we now honor as our Patriots … John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, George Washington, etc. These were all very different guys. Where would we be if all they did was pit themselves against each other, based on their differences? … In a place where there is only a Union Jack and no Old Glory, that’s where! … So, why is it that that’s all we do today? Although Oprah didn’t persuade me to support her guy, I’d bet that he does have some good ideas and that he, genuinely, wants to do his part to better our nation. Likewise with both the Evangelical Christian and the Mormon. As a matter of fact, that’s probably true of all the current mainstream candidates. So, why is it that not one of them seems to have the courage to offer what we do need … not just change but leadership, with a vision aligned with the beliefs of the majority and with the common sense to embrace the superior ideas of others, even if the “others” are political opponents. Now there’s the candidate I’m looking for! One who can lead us to rediscovering the strength that made America great in the first place … the synergy of the best of our differing ideas.

After basking for a few moments, in the illumination of the “Aha moment” we’d had, it occurred to me that I’d recently heard a similar point of view. As I reflected on this, I realized it was what I’d heard about a new book called Common Ground – How to Stop the Partisan War That is Destroying America., by Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel. If these two, literally, political polar-opposites have come to this conclusion too, we’re more encouraged, we must be on to something!

As a relative newcomer to considering Presidential politics, this all seemed to be a bit convoluted for Figgie. But I sensed it was sinking in and beginning to comfort him. As soon as we came to today’s conclusion, he wandered off to one of his favorite spots … the living room couch. There, he was able to look out and enjoy the sunny, though chilly, mid-December day. No doubt, it was that comforting view, along with the enlightened vision, resulting from our examination of today’s topic, that had him peacefully snoozing in no time. I was thankful he could do that so easily. He is such a good listener but I know that takes a lot out of him.

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December 7, 2007 · 9:52 pm

Light Coming Into The World

NOTE: This article was originally published in A Few Days With Figgins.

Celebrating light coming into the world is a central theme of Christmas. And yet, so much of what we hear on the news and end up focusing on with others, is very dark. There’s that girl who went missing in Aruba 2 1/2 years ago. Then there’s that cop who is suspected of killing his last two wives. Yesterday it was the mall shooting in Omaha. In the Pacific Northwest, we’re just coming away from a storm that devastated many coastal areas. But today, the skies are brightening so Figgins and I determined to turn our attention to more uplifting events.

I started by asking Figgins if he was familiar with one of my favorite projects, that gets more exposure this time of the year … Angel Tree, a part of Prison Fellowship Ministries (PFM). Although Figgins does not have a criminal record, I know he has spent some time behind bars so I was a bit surprised that he knew nothing of Angel Tree. However, I’ve come to recognize that, for the most part, even those who are aware of Angel Tree, have a fairly shallow understanding of the program so I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised. Anyway, you could tell, just by the look on his face, that Figgins was anxious to know more about Angel Tree and I suspected that a discussion along these lines could be just the right thing to lift our spirits today so I determined to share my views on the topic.

Most folks, who have some awareness of Angel Tree, would probably describe it this way: (1) Some sponsoring (typically, faith-based) organization puts up a Christmas Tree decorated with angel silhouettes, (2) Each silhouette displays the name of a needy child, along with an item the child needs, (3) Someone in the sponsoring organization purchases the needed item & the needy child gets it, as a Christmas gift. When you think about it, just that is uplifting, especially in contrast to many events going on around us. However, there are many more dimensions to Angel Tree. In order to begin to grasp this, its important to know that the needy children involved are the children of imprisoned parents. Beyond that, you need to understand the key reason the parents are imprisoned.

Of course, prisoners end up being imprisoned for many reasons. That is, if you consider the illegal acts they’ve committed to be the reasons for their imprisonment. At the bottom of it all, though, there is one common reason … self-centeredness. This can be applied in numerous ways but, in this context … an imprisoned parent and a needy child … its pretty plain. You have an adult who was only thinking of themselves and a child who wasn’t being thought of at all. Enter PFM with the dimensions of Angel Tree.

Earlier I mentioned angel silhouettes that display the name of a needy child and an item they need. These don’t just come from some list generated by the Department of Corrections. It begins with a first step that is a not-so-obvious dimension … the imprisoned parent takes the initiative to contact PFM, letting them know about their child and what the child needs. The next dimensions are the more obvious ones I mentioned earlier … a charitable individual purchases the needed item and the needy child gets it, as a Christmas present. But there are some great dimensions beyond that. The needy child doesn’t get the needed item as a Christmas gift from the charitable person, they get it as a Christmas gift from their imprisoned parent.

With that, I said to Figgins, “Isn’t that neat?! This isn’t just a matter of Christmas gifts finding their way into the hands of needy children. Its countless, unhealthy dimensions of our society being made well. Look at all the dimensions of needs that this fills!

  • The imprisoned parent gets to start forming the habit of being other-centered, instead of being self-centered.
  • The charitable person gets to serve and to continue developing their servant’s heart.
  • The child’s need gets filled … especially, their need to be loved … most importantly, their need to be loved by their parent.

You see, Figgins, that is why I find PFM’s Angel Tree to be so uplifting. Its a great example of why we celebrate Christmas. Its central theme is light coming into the world and you know, all you really have to do to get rid of the darkness is to turn on the light.”

You could tell that our discussion warmed Figgins’ heart. I suspect it was that, along with the expenditure of energy, from our earlier walk, that had him fully relaxed. Without further discussion, he curled up on the over-sized recliner, behind me in my office and drifted off to sleep. No doubt, as he drifted off, he was relishing our most recent rewarding discussion and looking forward to the next. Me too.

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