A Watershed Moment in History

We are all unique.  We are all individuals.  We are each special.  We have our own personalities, our own traits, and our own style.  Yet, we are each part of a generation.  We are all in a place in the cycle of life. We reflect traits of those are age.  We reflect traits of those who are older and those who are younger.  We are humans.  Humans with talents and gifts.  Humans with flaws and scars. So, what is the deal with all the talk, comparisons and research related to generations? Why is there such discussion over how we all get along or don’t play well together? I believe it is because humans are amazing, wonderful and fascinating.  We are all created with traits that make us unique.

As the world has developed and evolved, humans have been a constant for a great length of time in this equation.  We are in effect the intellectual assets driving the world and its changes.  Powered by a higher power but with free will.  Each of us determining our source of strength.  It is humans that make things and make change happen.

There is a tone of noise regarding how different we are from each other based on our gender, race and age.  Where in the world we were born, our socio-economic status, our level of education and the list goes on…  Bottom line, yes, we are different! We are also very much the same.  We see things from different perspectives and from different points in our life cycle.  We all have a voice in how to make change happen or influence it as it occurs.

It can be argued that each generation has issues with the others.  Labels try to define us as Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Boomers, and Great.  Some of us are labeled lazy, others cynical, others biased, entitled, selfish…the list is long.  But in spite of all the rhetoric, we co-exist.  We intermingle. We make things happen despite our generational labels and differences.

The dynamic, in my opinion, the dynamic that has changed is that many in our culture have devalued the importance of our intellectual assets and our differences and how they can make us all better.  As humans, we bring our brains to the table each and every time, we interact.  We make each other stronger.  Throughout history, people working together have built great things.  Whether it be infra-structures, industry, cultural and family values and dynamics, business, education and more, it is our people and intellect that make us stronger.  Change is the catalyst that often forces these interactions.  Just think about the impact COVID19 is having on our world and how we are working together as a globe to find solutions.

Why then are we so split by our differences? The only constant we can truly depend on is change.  Change is happening in today’s environment at a rapid pace. We need to think about how we can work together to make a lasting impact on our world that future generations can site as a positive watershed moment in history.  2020 is definitely a watershed moment in time.

How do you want to be seen as future generations look back on this time? It is a question; we all need to think about.