I think we’re about halfway through the coronavirus.  People are starting to talk about what happens after, and not in an indistinct, ‘we’re all gonna die’ way.

This pandemic is the major crisis of our time.  It cannot help but transform our society in profound ways.  The question is, how will it change us?  Will we come out of this better?  Or worse?

There are several changes that are obvious.  We are getting more and more powerful government access to our lives.  The left side of our political society will appreciate that, but the right won’t.  That’s going to have to be hashed out, and it may not be pretty.

There is a key component to this crisis that I want to draw attention to.  It’s the part of our nation that is most susceptible to the virus:  the elders. 

Shortly after the Culture Wars began back in the mid 1980s, about the time Baby Boomers began to move into power positions, a book was published that laid out a framework that explained generations and cycles of history.  Generations, by Wm Strauss and Neil Howe, was followed later by The Fourth Turning, which went into more detail.  But the primary idea that spread throughout our nation was the concept of generations.  The previous generations were given names and identities, and the war was on.  By the time George H.W. Bush was leaving office the generational divide was greater than even Cicero imagined it could be.

Because of the tendency of this virus to target the elderly and those with compromised immune systems (no matter the age), one of the key points of this battle for survival is that we must protect our seniors—our grandparents. 

According to Strauss and Howe, the generation that fought and won WWII, The Greatest Generation, is at least 95 years old.  The Silent Generation, those who were too young to fight in the war, are now between 95 and 78.  This makes them very vulnerable to the virus, and also too old to have much of a say in the public square.  We are just trying to keep them safe.

The Baby Boomers, however, are aged 77 to 60.  They make up the senior-most ranks of our governments and businesses.  And they also need to be kept safe and protected.

I bring all this up to make a point:  by the time we are free of this virus, one of the key parts of our society that will be changed will be the war between the generations.  “OK, Boomer,” will no longer be a term of derision, but a term of endearment; as long as the Boomers with the reins of power lead well. 

Once the divide has been bridged with a bit of concern and understanding, we Baby Boomers can offer wisdom and strength of character to our nation, moving towards great societal change that encompasses all, not divides. 

And if you wonder how that can happen, remember; the Boomers who have been trying to control our society and government and nation since the 1960s have made a hash of it.  They need to be retired.  The generation doesn’t need to retire.  It needs to be renewed by the stepping forth of the Baby Boomers who have found raising families and working and inventing and building societies of more value than taking the reins of power.  They will be given the reins when they finally have the wisdom and experience to direct our nation.

My millennial daughter is doing her best to see that her mother and I are taken care of.  But she doesn’t condescend to us and I’m hoping that she learns to listen a bit more.  My younger daughter needs to listen much more, but I know they are two different people who will make their life choices… but my hope, and my belief, is that after the corona virus is a memory, my girls will want to hear about the mistakes I made and what I learned from them.