As a Gen X, I was not a huge fan of The Beatles growing up. They came onto the music scene in the early 1960’s. By 1970, the band had broken up and went their separate ways. However last weekend I was going through some old 33 rpm LP albums, and found this gem.
The album was a compilation of singles and “b-sides” originally released into the United States in 1970.
The last track on Side One is Revolution.
You say you want a revolution, well, you know
We all wanna change the world
You tell me that it’s evolution, well, you know
We all wanna change the world
[Pre-Chorus]
But when you talk about destruction
Don’t you know that you can count me out?
The Beatles, specifically John Lennon, were speaking to the culture of the day. The need for change without the need for violence. Then the battle was civil rights. At the time, Lennon was criticized for being against the more radical groups, when he was more for peaceful protests over violent protests or war.
Sounds too familiar. I guess I always had an appreciation for The Beatles and their impact even though they were a part of the Silent Generation (my parents’ generation) speaking metaphorically to the Baby Boomers. It could clearly be used today entering into the final phase and end of the Millennial Saeculum.
The Counter-Revolution
Victor Davis Hanson is a historian and political commentator. He is a Boomer and sees the current movement as a Counter-Revolution to the Obama-Biden radical revolution. The video is short, a little over six minutes long.
The difference of this Counter-Revolution is that it is happening worldwide with center-right and right wing conservative leaders against center-left and left wing liberals. There is little to no middle ground to work from. There is no clear winner of this conflict and no clear end in sight. This is the indication that we are not yet close to the end of the current Crisis era in the Strauss-Howe Generational Theory. Here is a link summary from Wikipedia on that theory:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generational_theory?wprov=sfti1#Turnings
The youngest Gen X now turning 45 and the oldest turning 60 are becoming the pragmatic leaders and the Millennial generation, using teamwork and collaboration are moving towards practical solutions as the culture crisis moves on. The destination is not yet clear.
Will the new Saeculum usher in new technologies and social institutions? Will there be a crypto currency regime to support the fiat currency market along with artificial intelligence and robotics changing how humans live? Will there be a retreat to radical political philosophies as the generations age and influence the future?
Magic 8-Ball
You would think the counter revolution has the upper hand but it’s not that simple. Something must change. We cannot continue down the same path without complete disaster. Maybe disaster is our fate. What will occur? I’ve resorted to a very popular item from our Gen X youth. The Magic 8-ball:
But beware! Like most fortune tellers, you may or may not get the answer you want!
Back to John and the “Revolution”
I had been thinking about [revolution] up in the hills in India. I still had this ‘God will save us’ feeling about it, that it’s going to be all right. That’s why I did it: I wanted to talk, I wanted to say my piece about revolution.
— John Lennon, Rolling Stone, 1970
So what will it be? War? What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!
GenX Turns Fifty 
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