Ok Boomers! 1965, The Byrds.
As Gen X, we certainly remember this song sung by the Boomer youth. Thoughts of hippies and sit ins. This song is predictive. The seasons turn annually, the generations move through the decades of life.
Each generation takes on a “personality” based on where they lie on moving constellation of those living on Planet Earth, especially prominent in Western cultures.
This is one of the basis of the Strauss-Howe Generational Theory. If you follow this theory, you should had seen what is happening now coming.
https://www.audible.com/pd/B0BJSHC5VX?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=player_overflow
The Strauss-Howe Generational Theory asserts there are four turnings in western cultures, currently each lasting 20-23 years inside a longer Saeculum, lasting a long human life (80-92 years).
The four turnings in order are High, Awakening, Unraveling and Crisis.
What is pretty amazing about this theory, it is very apparent there is something to this view of western civilization based on the pattern of events and the cultural reaction to events.
Other books written by Strauss and Howe include Generations (1992) and The Fourth Turning (1997). (Neil Howe survives William Strauss, who passed away in 2007)
In “The Fourth Turning is Here” (2023) Neil Howe discusses the current Crisis era and compares it to previous Crisis eras, drawing out various possible scenarios for the resolution of the current Millennial Saeculum.
I recommend the book or audiobook for more details.
The focus of my post commentary is the set of possible outcomes to the current Crisis era, which we are clearly still experiencing.
The previous Crisis era ended with the conclusion of World War II, which took defeating the Nazi’s in Europe and detonation of two atomic bombs on mainland Japan.
No members of the Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials or Generation Z can recall WWII because none of us were born.
So there is really no way of determining what is going to happen that will resolve the current Crisis era. Howe presents a fairly wide range of potential outcomes, some positive, some very negative.
The worst outcome is Total War to include the use of nuclear weapons. The best outcome is an economic and cultural revival. The most likely is something in-between.
Peter Zeihan https://zeihan.com/ is a global strategist and has written several books on the United States of America and other Nations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
His books “The Accidental Superpower”, “The Absent Superpower”, “Disunited Nations”, and “The End of the World is Just the Beginning” chronicle the Post-WWII position of the USA through the Unraveling and Crisis eras. (not sure Zeihan subscribes to the Strauss-Howe Generational Theory, but the two bodies of work complement each other).
As in my last post, I am agreeing with Zeihan that Globalization is completely unraveling, leaving winners and losers scrambling for resources as the US refuses to be the World Police Force (see Team America, F Yeah!).
The US is also no longer in the game of nation building and soft power regime change. Just will the neocons and pro-war elites walk away quietly? Probably not.
We cannot predict the future but we can agree that we will not be at this stage forever and change is inevitable. Winter always gives into Spring.
China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and others may or may not participate in this New World Order.
Next series of posts will begin with the American High (approx. 1945-1964) and then the Consciousness Revolution (approx. 1965-1986) followed by the Culture Wars (approx. 1987-2007) and finally the Global Financial Crisis (approx 2008-20??).
Until then Gen X (and Millennials / Gen Z who are aware), Take a Look Around.
(Cue the Mission Impossible 2 Theme)
GenX Turns Fifty 
Leave a comment