Beth and I have been having a discussion about the relationship that our generation has with debt (student loans, credit cards, etc.) and our simultaneous lack of effective representation in government...leading us toward a disproportionate share of the burden when the Baby Boomers hit Social Security, Medicare, etc.
I don't see anyone advocating for our generation and it's time that we stop assuming someone will. It is time to dream about what Freedom looks like, and if it seems reasonable that crushing debt should be the baseline for our generation. How will our physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological health thrive under this burden? How do we start families when we live in a state of extended adolescence, renting apartments, living paycheck-to-paycheck until well into our 30s?
I am working on setting up an open discussion community on Facebook, open to everyone, from "Baby Boomer Jr." to "Panicked Gen X StressCase" on where we are, how we got here, and how what we can do about it.
I am pasting a link to a USA Today series on debt in our generation, which may act as good background reading for those whose personal experiences have not lead them to inquire as to the magnitude of the problem.
More postings as the Facebook community takes shape...
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Consumerism and Values soapbox
I was just ordering books for my wife's inter-session class and I ran the prices through a new "WishList" manager, called "WishRadar"...It's pretty helpful...etc. As I was contemplating posting a link to my List on this site, however, it crossed my mind that we are not only defined largely as a country/culture by what we own, but now we're defining ourselves by what we want to own.
I believe in dreams, goals and ambitions...No problem with those. However, whose dream, honestly, is it to own a Playstation 3? When did such widely available 'goods' as conversation, education, and the pursuit of personal autonomy and growth become so debased and devalued as to be undesirable when compared to the magic of digital surround sound?
I would bet that, if you asked them, many people within 10 years on either side of my age (23-43) would probably have a difficult time describing their ideas on freedom and empowerment and what those ideas mean in their own lives. For those who answered with some degree of clarity, I doubt that many would be having regular conversations on the subject, unless you happen to have asked Tony Robbins.
As I write this, I am stuck with the image of the pink goo in the Matrix, feeding an unaware humanity what it takes to keep them alive and running the machines. Substitute "plasma TV" for "pink goo" and "economy" for "machines"... -- Not that people are literally eating and digesting televisions, of course...No metaphor is perfect.
I suppose that I could go on to describe the generally neediness that's characteristic of all of humanity and the futility of the vain attempts to address that neediness with any and every device within our control. Maybe that's Part II...
I believe in dreams, goals and ambitions...No problem with those. However, whose dream, honestly, is it to own a Playstation 3? When did such widely available 'goods' as conversation, education, and the pursuit of personal autonomy and growth become so debased and devalued as to be undesirable when compared to the magic of digital surround sound?
I would bet that, if you asked them, many people within 10 years on either side of my age (23-43) would probably have a difficult time describing their ideas on freedom and empowerment and what those ideas mean in their own lives. For those who answered with some degree of clarity, I doubt that many would be having regular conversations on the subject, unless you happen to have asked Tony Robbins.
As I write this, I am stuck with the image of the pink goo in the Matrix, feeding an unaware humanity what it takes to keep them alive and running the machines. Substitute "plasma TV" for "pink goo" and "economy" for "machines"... -- Not that people are literally eating and digesting televisions, of course...No metaphor is perfect.
I suppose that I could go on to describe the generally neediness that's characteristic of all of humanity and the futility of the vain attempts to address that neediness with any and every device within our control. Maybe that's Part II...
Sunday, December 3, 2006
Gen X Finances
I just want to kick this topic off...if comments start rolling in (even if they don't) I'll start fleshing out some thoughts on the subject.
The question on my mind is, "What are the effects that my generation are experiencing as a result of carrying 'some' to 'tons of' debt, pretty much right out of college?"
My family's health is fairly crappy-- to say nothing of the male pattern baldness on my horizon. Is the low-grade hum of debt in the background adding to my risk factors for the array of health problems that I'll be hoping to dodge my entire adult life? (That's pretty much rhetorical, since, from a holistic standpoint, the answer is most certainly "yes.")
It is my belief that we were made to be Free. When I look at the fact that "prosperity" in America costs so much, it makes me think that I need some serious help re-framing what it means to me to be free.
Perhaps Free doesn't equal "happy"...?
The question on my mind is, "What are the effects that my generation are experiencing as a result of carrying 'some' to 'tons of' debt, pretty much right out of college?"
My family's health is fairly crappy-- to say nothing of the male pattern baldness on my horizon. Is the low-grade hum of debt in the background adding to my risk factors for the array of health problems that I'll be hoping to dodge my entire adult life? (That's pretty much rhetorical, since, from a holistic standpoint, the answer is most certainly "yes.")
It is my belief that we were made to be Free. When I look at the fact that "prosperity" in America costs so much, it makes me think that I need some serious help re-framing what it means to me to be free.
Perhaps Free doesn't equal "happy"...?
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