Aversion to Change

One thing I have learned from reading history is that any particular generation will, in the end, long for the “old days,” the times of their parents when life was supposedly simpler and the pace, a bit slower. At the same time, that same generation will have an aversion to the lifestyle of the following generation.

I learned that at the turn of the 20th century, around 1900, when Ragtime music became the rage, the previous generation reviled it thinking it was a bad influence on the youngsters. The next generation discovered Jazz and it too, was characterized as having a bad influence on the teenagers. After Jazz, we entered the Big Band era which was not viewed with quite the same disdain by the prior generation as Ragtime and Jazz had been. Maybe that was because Big Band music actually resulted in a slowing of the rhythm and the pace of dance. Big Band music carried this country through the years of WWII and slowly morphed into the early Rock & Roll of the Bobby Soxers in the 1950’s. Again, the previous generation abhorred Rock & Roll and even resorted to “record burnings” in some places.

I am no different. I have an aversion to the “in your face” rap music of today and I long for the lifestyle of my parents, a time when life was simpler and a bit slower. All this “change” is a bit overwhelming.

I am really concerned about the political direction of our country but I don’t know if I am just being an alarmist or if there is really reason to be concerned. Is the younger generation alarmed by all this change? Are they even aware of what’s going on with their government? I see a few of them speaking out, but for the vast majority, I wonder.