The Greatest Generation is a termed coined by Tom Brokaw and the title of his bestselling book. It referred to those who grew up during the Great Depression and fought in WW II.
At an awards ceremony I recently attended, I leaned over to a friend and said: "This is the most applauded generation," referring to the high schoolers sitting before us.
 What happens when a generation receives adulation at every turn? You hear reflections where a young woman muses that this may be the greatest class to ever walk its high school's halls and that it is difficult to imagine what its members will go on to accomplish given how successful they have been thus far.
This left me wondering, where is the sense of proportion, where is humility? Surely there were things not accomplished, a continuing need of growth, and the opportunity to recognize those who have gone before and what they have achieved.
This most applauded generation need to be warned that college professors and employers will not be as quick to clap as parents have been, that there will be quantitative expectations that define success, and that their elders will not yield the designation "most successful" to the just-hired graduates.
Even William J. Bennett's The Book of Virtues does not include humility as one of the ten virtues highlighted in the text, although the animated series "Adventures from the Book of Virtues" does have an episode dedicated to humility.
In a world dedicated to the propping up of our children's self-esteem and to the distribution of participation awards for any non-mandated activity, it is time to remind those we love and are preparing for a life in the larger world that part of the greatness of our country is some sense of meritocracy, where success and recognition are earned through hard work and dedication, accompanied by a humility that recognizes that none of us stands alone - that we are always dependent, in part, on those who have gone before.
Feel free to hold your applause until something of note has been accomplished. |
Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Stephen Julian. All rights reserved.
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