141 | Transcending the Decades
November 21, 2022
Minute of Transparency: Getting Intentional...
Today's Topic: Transcending the Decades
Your birth year = Your generation
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
// 1. YOUR BIRTH YEAR = YOUR GENERATION
Let me start by explaining that I got the idea for this episode 2 years too late...but I decided to do it anyways.
Because I thought it was a fun idea:
Two years ago I would have been the Big 50
And it would make more sense to look back at the 5 decades I've lived through
But even though I missed the opportunity - I'm still going to do it - at 52
I'm going to walk through each of the 5 decades I've been part of and list the big things I've experienced.
But before we dive into that - I thought it might be good to discuss the whole generation thing.
I'm not going to walk through each of them - but I think it's important to understand what generation we're part of - and how that position in time has impacted us.
It isn't rocket science. Our birth year determines the generation we're part of.
And for me - that is Generation X.
Directly after the Baby Boomers
And right before the Millennials - or Generation Y
Gen Xers were born between the years 1965 and 1980. And since I was born in 1970 - I got to experience 10 full years of it - placing me squarely in that generation. No if's and's or but's about it.
And here are the distinguishing characteristics of my generation:
According to articles by:
Characteristics of Generation X:
Often dismissed as the slacker generation (especially in the 90's - though this description is highly contested)
Sometimes referred to as the "middle child" generation
As they were often overlooked and almost forgotten
Lived through the AIDS epidemic
Experienced the MTV culture
Watched the cultural landscape shift
Saw the rise of the LGBTQ+ community
Grew up in dual-income families or single-parent households
Often children of divorce
They were often latchkey kids - spending parts of the day without adult supervision
The first generation to grow up with personal computers
So most grew up tech savvy
They experienced shaky economic times as children and young adults
They are often viewed as being resourceful, independent, and able to maintain work-life balance
They tend to be more liberal on social issues and more ethnically diverse than previous generations
Gen X-ers as parents:
Gen X-ers are all about parenting
They were the first generation to use what we now refer to as the "helicopter parenting" approach
Unlike their Boomer parents, who famously let their kids stay outside until the streetlights came on
Gen X parents have a tendency to be far more involved with their children
They are a generation that focuses on learning about parenting
They seem to care about the work-life balance
They understand the importance of individualism and tend to support their children’s choices
And finally - Gen X-ers are a generation of volunteers and are very involved in their kids’ development
So I tell you all that - because it's actually a significant part of who we are.
The generation we grew up in, the cultural norms, the social experiences and the events that happened in the world - all play into the way we experience the world.
I could probably do an entire episode just on Transcending Generations...but for now - just know that your generation is important. And the more you understand about it - the better you'll understand yourself.
That said - let's walk through the 5 Decades that I've been a part of.
Starting with:
// 2. THE 1970s
But before we start - I'm going to let you in on the format I'm using.
For each decade I'm going to talk about the following things:
My environment
Big Events
Popular Music
Popular Movies
Personal Events
However - I'm letting you know up front that when I list the Big Events, Popular Music and Popular Movies - I'm not just listing the ones that show up on a list - these are the ones on the list that impacted me. So there may be large events I don't list - and huge musicians that I don't even talk about - but it's because they didn't influence me the way they may have influenced others.
So let's jump in: 1970s
My environment:
Lived in Washington State, Minnesota, Illinois (1st Grade) and Wyoming (2nd & 3rd Grade)
Big Events:
1973 Roe v Wade - didn't mean a lot to me as a 3 year old - but it obviously came full circle this year when it was overturned
1977 Rise of the Personal Computer - something that would impact me greatly - and become a career path
1978 The Jonestown Massacre - This might seem like a strange thing to list - but because of my traditional Christian upbringing - this was a story I not only heard about - but was taught about. It was a cautionary tale about Jim Jones and how easy it was for someone to create a cult. And how dangerous it was to get caught up in the teachings of a false teacher like this. Ultimately over 900 people died because of this leader
Popular Music:
The Eagles, Queen, ABBA, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, AC/DC, Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith, Journey, etc.
Popular Movies:
Not that watched many movies from birth to 10 years old...but movies that I eventually watched that had a big impact on me
The Godfather, Star Wars, Alien, etc.
Personal Events:
Moving from Chicago, IL to Powell, WY after 1st Grade. HUGE change of scenery and would become a major part of my overall story
// 3. THE 1980s
My environment:
Still in Wyoming from 4th to 8th Grade
Then moved back to Chicago - High School
Southwest Michigan for my first two years of college
Big Events:
1980 Ronald Reagan President - Not sure why - but this seemed to be a pretty significant event at the time
1981 The AIDS Epidemic - one of those scary things we grew up with
1983 The Birth of the Internet - HUGE in terms of a career I would go into - and the speed at which society could access information
1985 Reagan and Gorbachev meet and agree to scale back on nuclear weapons
1986 The Shuttle Tragedy - Probably one of the defining moments of the decade for most Gen X-ers
1989 The Fall of the Berlin Wall - an event that suggested the end of the Cold War - and a more peaceful world
Popular Music:
Everything! The 80s was defined by music - at least in my world - as a teenager deeply impacted by the artists of that decade
Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, Prince, Bon Jovi, George Michael/Wham!, The Police, Metallica, Billy Joel, Journey, Van Halen, Guns & Roses, Whitney Houston, Duran Duran, etc.
And groups that weren't at the top of every chart - but that had a huge impact on me: Erasure, YAZ, Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, Mr. Mister, INXS, and the list is too long to complete
Popular Movies:
Indiana Jones Movies, Star Wars Movies, Back to the Future, Die Hard, Top Gun, and all the coming of age movies from that era like Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Stand By Me, Say Anything, Pretty in Pink, etc.
Personal Events:
Parent's separating for a while
Moving from Wyoming back to Chicago
2 years of day school and 2 years of boarding school
Graduating from High School
Moving from Chicago to Michigan
Floundering in college - switching degrees (Architecture to Sociology
// 4. THE 1990s
My environment:
Southwest Michigan for the final 3 years of college
Batavia, IL to work at Mooseheart
South Bend, IN to work at a Community Mental Health Facility, went to grad school and continued to work in the mental health field
Big Events:
1991 Desert Shield - Many of us assumed there could be a draft which we would be eligible for
1992 Technical end to the Cold War with the dissolution of the Soviet Union
1993 The Creation of the EU - Again - seemed like a step in the right direction getting the countries in Europe to join hands and agree to work together
1994 Amazon.com is Born - Need I say more? Life hasn't been the same since...
1996 The Oklahoma Federal Building Bombing - One of the most dramatic terrorist attacks inside our country
1996 The Cloning of Dolly the Sheep - Significant in that it signified just how far we could go with technology and also opened a can of worms as to the ethical questions behind our progress. Questions like, "Just because we can do something - should we?"
1998 The Birth of the Google Era - Similar to Amazon - a major step forward in the use of the Cloud for search, document creation and file sharing
Popular Music:
For me - music began it's slow decline - fizzling out in 90s
Though there were still some pretty influential artists:
Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Nirvana, Shania Twain, Green Day, The Cranberries, Enya, etc.
Popular Movies:
The Shawshank Redemption, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, Toy Story, Schindler's List, Silence of the Lambs, The Matrix, Titanic, Jurassic Park, etc.
Personal Events:
Finishing up college
Finding my way in the field of mental health
Getting my MSW
Meeting my wife
Getting married
Buying our first home
Buying our first car
// 5. THE 2000s
My environment:
South Bend, IN - working at MBHC
Granger, IN - working at GCC
Big Events:
2000 Y2K - We all watched the bal drop on December 31st and wondered if the world was going to end
2001 9/11 - A major terrorist attack on American soil. The entire world stopped and watched as the unthinkable happened. A defining moment for me to be sure - but my guess is that the entire world remembers that day
2002 The Launch of the Department of Homeland Security - A major change in the structure of our government. The ramifications of which we probably don't even understand. At the time, our understanding was that we were giving up some of our fundamental rights in order to keep the country safe
2003 Desert Storm - The "shock and awe" campaign to end the Saddam Hussein regime
2004 Facebook Launches - And social media was off and running
2006 Saddam Hussein executed
2007 The iPhone Launches - And the era of mobile devices changes forever
2009 The First African American President - Barack Obama takes office and breaks the color barrier. Provides calm and civility while in office
Popular Music:
Linkin Park, Coldplay, Beyonce, Pink, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Usher, Shakira, Green Day, Miley Cyrus, etc.
Popular Movies:
The Dark Knight, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Wall-E, The Bourne Identity, Avatar, Iron Man, Twilight, The Grinch, etc.
Personal Events:
Moving up the ladder in the mental health field
Teaching myself web design and development
Switching careers - volunteered at - then became Web Director at GCC
Started the Web Driven Church blog
Wrote "Controversy Theory" - a book coming to terms with the interplay of Christian faith and pop psychology
Started a family - Had three kids
// 6. THE 2010s
My environment:
Granger, IN - working at GCC
Irvine, CA - working at Mariners then PJS/SLS
Big Events:
2011 Bin Laden Killed - the culmination of the war in Afghanistan - and payback for the 9/11 terrorist attacks
2014 Russian Annexation of the Crimean Peninsula - We may not have understood the ramifications then - but it's pretty clear now that Putin has fully invaded the country
2016 Donald Trump Becomes President - In a last minute turn of events the political world was turned on its head. Traditional government was no more. Trump ushered in an era of disruption, lies and subversive behavior. And our political structure will take years to recover from its effects
Popular Music:
Adele, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, BTS, One Direction, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, The Weekend, Post Malone, Imagine Dragons, Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish, Sam Smith, Neon Trees, etc.
Popular Movies:
The Dark Knight Series, The Avengers, Inception, The Social Network, A Star is Born, Parasite, Black Panther, The Joker, Interstellar, etc.
Personal Events:
My struggle with alcohol was ramping up
I struggled to find meaning in the work I was doing
Moved to California
Finally stopped drinking in 2017
Was let go by the church I was working at
Then Tammy was let go by the same organization
Began the process of deconstruction
Was able to see how God led us through pretty dark times - but struggled to return to organized religion
// 7. THE 2020s
My environment:
Irvine, CA - working at PJS/SLS
Big Events:
2020 COVID 19 - The virus that brought the entire world to its knees. Reminiscent of the Spanish Flu and other global pandemics. The impact on people, culture, business and society in general will probably never fully be understood
2020 Unrest - The death of George Floyd, along with the issues created by COVID shutdowns, mask requirements, vaccinations, boosters and all that set off a powder keg in this country. Protests, riots, looting and a the start of extreme polarization between the political parties
2020 Election Cycle - We all know how that turned out. Election results denied. Failure to peacefully transfer power. Complete lack of respect in the election process. All leading to the January 6th Insurrection
2022 The War in Ukraine - Russia invades the Ukraine in an attempt to resurrect the power of the Soviet Union
2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization - Overturns Roe v Wade
2022 Elon Musk Purchases Twitter - And it will most likely never be the same again
As you can see - we're off to a great start this decade...
Popular Music:
Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, etc.
Popular Movies:
The Social Dilemma, Tenet, Don't Look Up, Top Gun Maverick, etc.
Personal Events:
The struggle with COVID and the ability to travel and be social
Remote working - and the lack of human interaction
Political polarization
Global unrest and the tensions between large countries with nuclear capability
Continued deconstruction and the inability to connect with a local church
Became a Resource Family
Got our first kiddo
Trying to be positive in the world we find ourselves in
Let's Land the Plane:
Thank you for humoring me as I took a quick walk down memory lane.
I hope you were able to jump in from time to time as your story intersected mine.
And I would encourage you to do this exercise for yourself. Go back and remember the decades you've been part of.
What stood out for you? What world events impacted you? What music had the biggest influence? What movies left a mark on your soul?
And how did your story intersect all of that along the way?
That's it for today. Have a great week - and as always - keep Transcending Human!