September 17, 2009

Now we know what it's like

As the Baby Boomer generation grows older, we are steadily becoming aware of what life is about. We are learning what our parents, of the Greatest Generation, learned before us, and the generations before that. Due to the mere fact that we are the largest generation ever, the impact of growing older will be larger to the same degree. As Boomers have always over-thought everything, we knew about aging and have watched our parents go through it, and yet, we still tend to think as we have most of our lives...that "we" are unique. We really knew we are still human beings and therefore will experience life as it is, but in the back of our minds, we have always thought that we will find all the cures to all diseases and remain young and immortal, at least in earnest principal.

What we are learning as we see our cultural icons die, is that although our life expectancy is indeed longer than the previous generations, we can not live forever. We are feeling the reality of what our parents felt and are feeling as they have watched most of their friends pass away. It makes one wonder what it must feel like to be in your 7th and 8th decade of life. Does one wake up everyday thinking that this may be it? Perhaps as we grow older, we also find an awarness that dieing becomes less and less of a worry, and as if you can live into your 7th or 8th decade, you actually become comfortable with the fact that life may end any time.

What would it be like to live so long that everyone you know, perhaps even all of your own family, would die before you? Would this be something humans would actually desire? Humans need the bonds of love and friendship throughout their lives and to see that all disappear while you go on, alone, would be a hard thing to endure.

For other Boomer icons who died this year, see:

Baby Boomers - This has been a week of awareness of our mortality

Ellie Greenwich wrote huge hit songs. Did you ever hear of her?

The Summer of the Celebrity Deaths? 

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