Krieger's post, with which I identify from those times, suggests that something similar may be happening. This would accord with the generational theory of Strauss and Howe and also suggested by Ravi Batra in The New Golden Age: The Coming Revolution against Political Corruption and Economic Chaos.
Interesting also, Krieger calls for raising the level of collective consciousness as an antidote to the mass craziness, something that also characterized the period of the countercultural revolution in America and the a renewed interest in spirituality apart from institutional religions. Now meditation is a household word in the West, recommended by health professionals and adopted as a management technique.
According to Stauss & Howe, the Sixties generation was one characterized by Awakening and I agree that this is an apt characterization of what transpired then. However, the present cycle of generational change is characterized by crisis, and that also seems to be the case. This period is a phase transition to the next generational cycle. It is a period of destruction before a new period of reconstruction.
Good comment, Tom.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the present cycle of generational change is characterized by crisis, and that also seems to be the case.
A crisis exacerbated by 37 years of false information and a lousy education. The mothers of America went into helicopter mode after Etan Patz’ abduction in 1979, and in my view have crippled a generation.* Their husbands were enthralled with Ronald Reagan’s Ayn Randish ideas. Clinton was the loser presidency in my view, his admin run by 20-30-somethings who had no real experience in the changes the world was going through, and thought as Paul Begala did, ''Stroke of the pen, law of the land. Kind of cool.'' And zero understanding of the long-term consequences.
Or the arch attitude of Clinton’s Communications Director (Barney Frank’s sister) who said the US government existed to do Israel’s bidding and made this statement, ''We tend not to spend a lot of time talking about what we've just done. Or, to put it differently, we could talk about it, but you wouldn't write about it, so that wouldn't make much sense. The events we do are always forward-looking.'' As bad as Karl Rove’s Bush Jr statement to Ron Suskind, "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."
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* A group of biology students was studying the emperor moth, a huge moth with a 6-inch wingspan. Its birthing process is an agony for moth lovers to watch. The wings are tightly wrapped in two pouches in a one-inch cocoon. It takes a minimum of 24 hours of struggling to emerge. The students decided to hasten the process and cut the pouch holding the second wing. The emperor moth emerged with only one good wing, a cripple, and could never fly.
Interesting also, Krieger calls for raising the level of collective consciousness as an antidote to the mass craziness, something that also characterized the period of the countercultural revolution in America and the a renewed interest in spirituality apart from institutional religions.
ReplyDeleteYes, but it never successfully metastasized, achieved itself, as Adam Curtis explained brilliantly and hilariously in his documentary series about the ultimate failure of this counterculture then, which fed the breeding ground for a Reagan revolution and the go-go-money-for-me America that we were to transform into. I don’t recall which Curtis series it was called. It was the one with the hippyish 70s poetry title as the series’ title. (Brain derailed. Should go to bed.)
I thought Curtis nailed the hypocrisy. Perhaps the crisis now is that it’s returned to see if we can do it right. But how we can do it with the current Millennial generation is beyond me. I had great hope for them for years. Now I feel like I’m dealing with a bunch of turnips who, in addition to not being well-read, have the thinking capacity and curiosity of doorstops. It’s more than capacity. It’s a desire to know, to reflect. It will be another 20 years before they know that they don’t know.
the ultimate failure of this counterculture then, which fed the breeding ground for a Reagan revolution and the go-go-money-for-me America that we were to transform into.
ReplyDeletePartly true, but the primary driver was the dialectic reaction to the countercultural revolution, which energized conservatives and traditionalists.
However, it is true that the revolution was undercut by its own success and poisoned by money. A driving force was the music and corporate interest realized very early that this trend had huge commercial potential.
In addition, "hip" became a fad rather than a cause. In a sense, Woodstock was the climax and the rest was denoument. The first two acts were the meat, and the ending was a surprising disappointment, as many of the actors were coopted by money.
But the spirit of awakening was real, and it persisted as a cultural force.
Perhaps the crisis now is that it’s returned to see if we can do it right. But how we can do it with the current Millennial generation is beyond me. I had great hope for them for years. Now I feel like I’m dealing with a bunch of turnips who, in addition to not being well-read, have the thinking capacity and curiosity of doorstops. It’s more than capacity. It’s a desire to know, to reflect. It will be another 20 years before they know that they don’t know.
The countercultural revolution needed Vietnam to drive it. The establishment realized this, of course, and sought to head this off in the future by dropping the draft, going to an all volunteer "professional military," and using tech to limit US combat losses and casualties. It's worked so far.
However, another "exogenous shock" could become another driver and it's not like there aren't several swords of Damocles handing overhead ready to fall at any time.
Charlottesville could be a thread fraying, for example. NK, Iran, Ukraine, Syria-Iraq, etc. are others. Then there is global warming, which is proceeding apace and the pace is picking up to some degree. The world situation hasn't been this precarious since the lead up to World War I and II.
Again, I would cite Meher Baba's discourse on "the new humanity."
"It’s imperative that we vigilantly guard our wisdom and consciousness, because the best solutions will only come from a place of spiritual and mental health". [Michael Krieger]
ReplyDelete"So, people don’t think the craziness in this world is an echo of themselves—no, no, no. They think that’s somebody else talking. No, it’s you, you, you, you, you, you—all of us! And what is everybody trying to do? Fix the echo". [Prem Rawat]
Say something else 2:03min