A Generation Removed

Daniel Holdings – September 12, 2013

I’ve never claimed to be the brightest bulb on the tree. In fact, many who’ve listened to me on radio will remember me comparing myself to Balaam’s Donkey. However, I recently had an epiphany of a ridiculously simplistic mathematical truth that even stunned me.

I just had my fifty-first birthday. A Babyboomer born on September 1st, 1962, I was thinking about how many things have changed in my lifetime.

Then I remembered that the infamous anniversary of September 11th would once again roll by this week. Conspiracy theories aside, it is one of the darkest days in American history – not only for what happened on that day, but also the harbingers it heralded for our country.

I thought about how today’s youth could hardly relate to the lives that most Americans led before Sept. 11th. Then I went further back and I wondered what they thought of the fall of the Soviet Union and the Cold war. I mused about whether or not they had any real recollection of how terrible the Iranian Hostage Crises was in 1979, or if they could possibly fathom the pain of Vietnam.

That’s when I had my epiphany.

I’ve seen so many earth-shaking things and considered that today’s youth probably thought about events in my lifetime like I thought about events from my parent’s generation; i.e. World War II or the Great Depression.

However, while I of course understood the significance of these two events, I’ve always considered them “ancient” history and far removed from my “hip” generation. That’s when I did the math…

The Germans surrendered on May 8th, 1945 – Only fourteen years before I was born! (Duh!!!)

The Great Depression was launched by the stock market crash on October 29th, 1929, only thirty-three years before I was born.

(Double Duh!)

I’d never done the math! Not so ancient history after all!

By comparison, for someone born today – Smart phones became a permanent fixture in American society within the last five years, 9/11 was twelve years ago and Black Monday, the stock market crash of 1987, was a mere sixteen years ago!

Here’s the point: Just as I was A Generation Removed from the “ancient history” of World War II, so too are our kids removed from the United States that we once knew.

And, if not tempered, that ignorance will lead to the death of this country!

A bit harsh you say?

There is no better illustration of this than a conversation I had in April of 2008.

On a hot Spring day, I decided to get myself a cold drink at a local coffee place.  Sitting on the ground next to the door was a young man who was wearing a brand new, Barack Obama, “Change” T-Shirt.

The kid was probably twelve or thirteen, well under the voting age, and was obviously waiting for an after school ride. I couldn’t resist engaging him.

“Nice shirt,” I said, tongue in cheek (I was a registered Republican).

“Thanks”

“So,” I inquired, “You like that guy?”

“Oh yeah!” he enthusiastically replied.

“Really? Why?” I asked. I wondered how much the kid knew about the then potential President or if he just really liked the shirt.

He cocked his head and scrunched his eyebrows, seemingly stunned by such a foolish question, “Why? Because of change! That’s why.”

“Change?” I asked confused, “Change of what?”

Frustrated and shaking his head, “Just change… you know… different.”

The kid’s ride showed up just then and he ran off before I could get him to clarify. However, I still remember that conversation with a pre-voting age teenager to this day.

He’d never paid a dime of taxes in his life. He probably never knew anyone who died in a war or felt the pain of losing a job or income. Yet, with a brainwashed sense of absolute certainty, he would have an impact on the country that I love and cherish.

His is a generation far more removed from the United States that once was.

If the only standard that passes for an informed choice is a catchy slogan and a cool T-shirt… we are in more serious trouble than we think. After all, that kid was probably old enough to vote for the current President the second time around.

I freely admit that my generation of Babyboomers grew up on sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. However, our parent’s generation had enough of an impact to help shape my worldview.

That impact acted like an anchor during the Cold War and as a rudder during the wayward seas of the 1990’s. However, with Sept. 11th our country had somehow ran aground in the 2000’s and our trampled Constitution and dwindling liberties in this decade is a direct consequence of our losing our moral compass.

This is an American generation (with some exceptions), that has walked away from a God that they forgot to fear for His judgment. This generation no longer learns from bitter historical lessons that taught us the truth about communism and socialism. This is a generation that would rather be entertained than work hard and venture high.

The publishing of this article marks the fifty-first anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s “We’re going to the Moon” speech.

While I’ve had issues with his moral failings, he was a great President. Although a Democrat, he was a fiscal conservative. He was also honest to a fault because I vividly remember hearing his speech where he outed the New World Order and the Elite (It’s what probably got him killed).

However the thing that most impressed me about the man was that President Kennedy was a LEADER! And he led from in front! He didn’t back down from the Soviets and he purposed that the United States would be a force for good in the world.

In that memorable speech, JFK’s sharp Bostonian inflection forcefully intoned, “We do not choose to go to the Moon because it is easy! We choose to go to the Moon because it is hard!”

If only our country had a leader like that in these trying days. Syria and a looming World War III, a certain global financial collapse, a eavesdropping government that seems to be preparing for martial law or worse are all realities that cry out for a leader. Yet, there is no man to fit this bill.

And all along, we have generations of people that are asleep and removed.

They are removed from the fact that the world is a very dangerous place. They are removed from a God that loves them, but will have to judge them for their sin because they are unrepentant. They are removed from war and famine and pestilence, sadness and pain.

But soon, they will no longer be removed. They, and we that came before them, will be in the thick of the things that my parents and grandparents fought and died for – Freedom.

Jesus said, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”

Can our country be great again? Can we forestall the judgment of God? Can we find the strength and courage to be the Americans that our parents and grandparents were?

Here is the YouTube link to the full seventeen minute speech by President Kennedy: http://youtu.be/Bdic4CXP7ng

Listen and be inspired. It will make you grateful that you were born in America.

And most of all – Pray. Pray that God will give our nation a spirit of repentance. Pray that the people of this land will turn back to Him. Pray that His judgment will be stayed.

Because if it is not…

We will all be removed.