It feels incredible to scratch an itch that is until you get carried away.
Some itches are fleeting and pleasurable. However, the insect bites we collect during the spring and summer months not so much. At first, the bites go unnoticed, but as the poison spreads, the itch becomes painful. The urge to scratch reaches a point where we must succumb.
At first scratch, we sigh with relief. But humans tend to take things beyond common sense and continue to scratch until the bite area bleeds.
Baby Boomers and those who lived before them developed a respect for germs, and the resulting infections they caused. Consequently, they dash to the medicine cabinet for peroxide or, heaven forbid, iodine. No bacterium likes to be doused with either remedy and hightails it into the sunset.
When it comes to germs, the Generation Xers followed, somewhat, the mindset of their parents. They tended to grab the tried and true remedies than face a swollen appendage and a trip to the ER. But over time, they became lazy, especially when it came to raising their children.
Consequently, the Millennials grew up in a more laisse faire environment. “Let the kid crawl around in the dirt. It’s good for them because dirt strengthens the immune system.” As Generation Xers aged, their tendency to believe in the nearly sterile environment their parents preferred fell by the wayside because “it’s too much work.”
Some Millennials and far too many Generation Z folks devolved into a “mental and emotional Flat Earth” way of thinking. In other words, everything was about and revolved around them, their feelings, and their desires. If someone tried to discipline them or attempt to show them that a world outside of theirs existed, they shed crocodile tears because their feelings were hurt.
Of course, those Flat Earth Brains felt it was okay to viciously lash out at anyone who tried to teach them respect for others and the consequences of their actions. Then the so-called social media enabled them to go beyond the old fashioned schoolyard bullying tactics. Their vomit of small mindedness and disregard for the consequences of their actions and words was the cannon fodder for other pod people. Funny how the folks who encouraged such societal hatred profited while attempting to control the mindless ignoramuses.
It is both fascinating and alarming how quickly the world went from the corset-constricted of what passed for manners and behavior espoused by those who came before the Baby Boomers to the anything-goes attitude today. Of course, those pinky-in-the-air folks were no better than the self-absorbed of today. They just hid things better.
They were the Houdinis. The obfuscation aficionados of the so-called genteel society. In other words, if no one noticed your shenanigans, then you and your reputation were safe. Funny thing, today’s egocentric generation hardly acknowledges the concept of reputation because that is a stuffed-shirt attitude and takes too much effort to care.
With all the turmoil and disconnect around us, how can anyone communicate? The question is, do they even want to share their often diametrically opposing thoughts. Happily, the answer is many not only do make an effort to communicate, especially among family members.
Yes, there is a generational divide between parents and their children, but communication makes it possible to hear the ideas and beliefs of the other side without rancor. If we as parents did our job, our children would not be our exact replicas. They would grow, change, and adapt.
There are a couple of people in this lady’s life, one born at the tail end of the Baby Boomer cycle, and the other is part of Generation X. Our outlook on the world sometimes meshes quite well, but at other times are diametrically opposed.
One remains calm during our discussions, while the other tends to get louder and louder as he warms to explaining his point of view. When the decibel level reaches the point where the message becomes lost in the noise, this lady merely says, “You are yelling.” Then our conversation resumes.
We are never too old or young to learn something new.