Remember the phrase “The greatest generation?" Remember the terrible conditions that our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents had to endure through the war years of 1914-1918, rationing, shortages of all kinds of things, and war casualties, the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920 that killed more than 100 million people around the world, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 that led to the Great Depression that resulted in millions of people losing their jobs, homes, farms/ranches, and businesses, the Dirty Thirties with millions unemployed and underfed, and the war years of 1938-1945?
Our ancestors made tremendous sacrifices in order to survive those terrible years, but in the end they persevered and through their sacrifices we saw the greatest increases in our national wealth during the 1950s and 1960s.
They’re called the “Greatest Generation” because they survived wars, depressions, pandemics, rationing, shortages of almost everything in order to create a better world for their children and grandchildren.
So, what do we have today? We have folks who believe that they’re “entitled” to get whatever they want. The “freedom” to do whatever they wish, and to ignore rules, laws, and regulations they don’t like.
And they want all these things without accountability and without hardships.
What our so-called leaders have created is the “Selfish (Whining) Generation”. So many people have become distrustful and antagonistic to laws, rules, and regulations because they see our leaders, politicians and religious leaders, committing wrong doings and violating ethical behaviour with impunity.
Our politicians tell us one thing but do another – Trudeau in Ottawa, Jason Kenney in Alberta, Boris Johnson in Great Britain, and Donald the Duck in the U.S.
Hypocrisy is “in.” Decency and law-abiding behaviour are out.
Consequently, some folks feel that they can do the same thing. Why “do good “ and follow the rules when the people who are supposed to set the positive examples for us cheat, lie, spread misinformation, and conspiracy theories?
Remember the Golden Rules? The Ten Commandments? The words honesty, honour, truthfulness, integrity, and ethical behaviour have become meaningless words.
Just do “your own thing." Who cares about the welfare of other people? If our leaders can violate the rules, so can we. We have become “The Selfish Generation”.
George Thatcher,
Trochu
