The greatest generation is slowly becoming extinct and it is time for us “baby boomers” to pick up the torch and run.
As we talk and listen to our elders and the times of their childhood we need to pay attention because their wisdom will be irreplaceable. For many of us we have tired of some of the same old stories that we have heard over and over again, however after this time is over we long for those days of hearing these stories again and trying to remember what we were told.
From our forefathers to this passing generation we have been handed many excerpts of wisdom. Not only were we given tidbits of wisdom in each story but we were told about the dignity, discipline, and character each one learned as a child. Respect was taught in school and at home.
For some of us we look back and see our parents as being hard workers with little time to share with their children. It may seem that they did not appreciate what we were doing and would very seldom tell us of their approval. It seems to me that we always remember what bad remarks we got and just gloated at the good remarks without marking them down in our minds.
Wisdom comes through learning and experience. As this world changes and becomes more electronically oriented and gets away from the hands-on type jobs, we are using our heads and minds in different ways than our forefathers did.
Dr. Eugene Swearingen once said, “The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.”
One of my favorite quotes I rely on is “the only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”
The generations before us based much of their experiences and wisdom on hard labor and they accomplished it well. Today we are in a friendlier atmosphere of using our heads and getting work completed for us through electronic devices and other means. However this should never deter us from learning from our forefathers and maintaining their wisdom because it was them that brought us to this point in life.
In Philippians 2:3 we are told, “Don’t be selfish... Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.”
Our forefathers mastered this by learning that the most important words in life are: “Thank You.” The most important word in life is: “We.” The least important word is: “I.”
Working together with and for each other will get our generation on the right track so that, maybe one day; we will also be remembered as a great generation.
