No.
Not
your grandchildren.
Your
grandchildren are not waiting for you
to die.
Your
grandchildren love you and can’t wait for the next time they’ll
see you.
This
is not a story about your specific grandchildren. It is a story
about generations, differences, and eye-rolling.
There
are things that simply don’t translate across years of life. And
we can see the realities of this in the jokes about technology
and such. Grandmothers that shouldn’t be allowed near emojis.
Parents that ruin a social media platform for their kids. Children
doing things, exploring freedoms, challenging boundaries their
elders never would have questioned (all while watching the world
stream on their phone).
The
craziest thing, I believe, is how those that have positioned themselves
as decision makers are so out of touch with the true wants of
the majority. In short—yup, here it is—the grandparents are making
the laws while the grandchildren can’t believe how inexplicably
(and inexcusably) wrong they are.
Hence,
the truth, your grandchildren are waiting for you to die.
Consider
politics. (I know. I’m not going to wander into specific politics,
but the controversies are not there because of me.) True change
is only going to come when those log-jamming any and all meaningful,
thoughtful progress and action are out of office.
Want
to know a secret? While the political world may be horrendous
when it comes to true, beneficial, representing the needs of the
many action these days, some of the swirling narrative isn’t much
different than it was forty years ago.
Ever
heard of Tip O’Neill? Go take a look at how the Massachusetts
Democrat, longtime member of the House of Representatives, felt
about Ronald Reagan. Learn some of the quotes that were made about
Reagan by O’Neill. In fact, expand that and dig deeper to check
out how party unity and action derailed the Democrats time and
again while O’Neill was an influential member of Congress during
a stretch where the Democrats held the White House and both houses
of Congress. (History repeats itself. All while some people, and
apparently political parties, never learn.)
Funny
thing, the lessons of Tip, the Speaker of the House, are finished.
Themes may repeat, but the atmosphere has been crushed. For while
the ability to maintain discipline and actions continues in politics,
it was a Republican president that awarded O’Neill the Presidential
Medal of Freedom. These days, a Republican won’t let a Democrat
back into the White House to unveil a portrait. (Name calling
and childish behavior have consequences.)
Time
marches on. While we may be witnessing all sorts of difficulties,
in ten to twenty to forty years there will be progress of some
sort. Though it may feel at times like a few steps forward, a
few steps back (and some times too many steps back).
I
recall having a conversation with some friends many years ago.
We eventually came to a mutual conclusion that we don’t get the
results we may want, but it could be argued we usually get the
results we deserve. If we’re going to complain, but not vote or
make any attempts to do better, then uncertainty and wavering
and unpopular decisions should not surprise.
For
those of you of an age or generation where grandchildren may be
around you, understand that change is going to come. It will definitely
not be change you would create. Might not be a change you understand.
But once you die, it will arrive.