Are You Looking Forward to 2010?

No surprise that many people are looking forward to putting the past decade behind us and getting on with the next one. The past decade has been dubbed the “Decade From Hell“. IMO, it was similar to “The 60′s” in being a game-changer. The main difference is that the changes in the 60′s were far more visible as they were occurring. During the past 10 years, the changes were more subtle and perhaps only apparent when we look in the rear view mirror.

The 60′s
I’ve heard it said that America lost its innocence during the 60′s.

• We lost President Kennedy, Senator Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Those events shocked us.
• We were heavily involved in Vietnam and once news photos began showing planes coming home loaded with body bags, people were aghast.
• We watched evening news with videos of violent anti-war and civil rights protests in the streets.
• Here in Ohio we saw the National Guard fire upon students at Kent State.
• The draft was in effect, so we monitored what level we were in to estimate whether our male loved ones were apt to be called up in the next lottery.
• Gloria Steinem told women that we no longer had to be second-class citizens, so we told spouses to fix their own dinner so we too could have a career.
• Students in certain upper-graduate curriculum were advised to drop out and get a job because people were having difficulty getting jobs if they were “over-qualified”.

If I were to summarize what I remember most, it was the public display (protests) of people willing to stand up for their beliefs and risk/suffer physical harm as a result. It should be no surprise that those same anti-establishment people were at the Tea Party protests last summer. They may be 40 years older but equally willing to take a stand for their beliefs. The generations since have lacked that passion.

The 00′s

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that if America lost its innocence in the 60′s, then the last decade is the one where we lost America. America went global thanks to the Internet, Google and Walmart.

• We’re no longer just “Americans” … we’re “something hyphenated Americans” with the American heritage being secondary. I suspect that many people have never even visited the country they place in primary position.



USPS tape made in China

• It’s hard to buy a totally Made In The USA product – even from the Big 3 car makers. (check out this tape that I purchased from the post office)
• Manufacturing, which once was a strength, is now a weakness as high paying jobs went overseas where labor and the cost of doing business is cheap.
• Other than when our country was formed, it was the first time that we were attacked on American soil – and it happened twice with a failed 3rd attempt.
• Our economy and financial systems are heavily dependant on the global market, plus, we’re relying on loans from other countries to keep us afloat.
• A lot of our land, buildings and businesses are foreign-owned rather than American-owned.
• We have discussions as to whether we should be an English-only society, as our signs, schools, and important papers offer alternative languages.

Unlike the tumultous 60′s, the changes above were quiet changes. Just like our freeway driving, we’ve merged. In the 60′s, we had head-on crashes. Are we more civilized now than in the 60′s … or more tolerant … or less passionate. I’m not sure which it is.

The Twenty-Teens

Actually, I’m looking forward to 2010. I survived the 60′s and I survived the OO’s, so I say BRING IT ON! I once worked for a great General Manager who said, “if it doesn’t move the business forward – don’t do it!” While that is a great time management platitude, it can work in real life, too. If we’re not happy with our real lives, we shouldn’t be afraid to make a change to correct it. Only we can be responsible for our attitudes and only we can control our destiny. Other people can affect us only if we allow them to have that influence.

I hope you have a great 2010!

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