Talking ‘Bout My Generation and Yours Too

I’m writing in the morning like I’m supposed to! How did that happen? especially on a day my alarm didn’t go off. Yesterday’s adventure was escorting my friends home from their cataract surgery. I like the way the hospital, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, works with escorts. The patients give the hospital the escort’s phone number, and they call when the patient is out of surgery. That meant I didn’t have to wait inside the hospital. When I arrived, I checked in, had my temperature taken, then went out for a walk. It was a beautiful day and I ended up sitting on a bench, must nicer than being in a waiting room. They were behind schedule, so I arrived just as the first friend went into the ER. Good thing cataract surgery is fast. When she was done, I met her in the recovery room where she was already eating her postsurgical snack. We then waiting around for the other friend. For me it was just a pleasant day hanging out with friends. My job was making sure they got home safe. It was not a difficult job, after cataract surgery you are fine. I went out to eat after mine.

They live in Chelsea, and I took advantage of being there by going to Trader Joe’s. That used to be a weekly ritual, now it’s a treat. It’s November so I got the spiced apple cider, always a favorite. My new product discovery was the Aussie Style Chocolate Crème Sandwich Cookies; another reason to love Australia. I couldn’t resist; I haven’t had breakfast yet, but I ate a cookie.

Last night I watched a Zoom concert by Barnaby Bright. I’m doing fewer of those as we return to live shows. Tonight, I’m seeing the alluring Alisa Amador at Rockwood Music Hall. This will be my first time seeing her in person outside of NERFA. It will not be the last. She gets plenty of radio play on  Gord’s Gold. Come join me; she’s a major talent and most of my friends have not seen her yet.

Tomorrow night I’m seeing The Murphy Beds up at the Common Ground Coffeehouse, temporarily located in Dobb’s Ferry. Two concerts in two nights, I’m getting my life back. On Monday I’m seeing Christine Lavin and then on Tuesday I’m hopping a bus for my annual Thanksgiving festivities in Southborough MA.

I was just reading COVID-19 safety recommendations and they agreed with what I’m doing. When I’m doing transitory indoor public experiences, shopping, subways, etc. cloth masks are fine. When I am indoors for extended periods, like concerts and hospital visits, I wear my KN95. I minimize my indoor restaurant time. It’s still a rarity but I don’t exclude it. I feel better if they ask proof of vaccination. I’m vaxxed and if I’m only with other vaccinated people the risk is low. The infection rate in New York is under 2%. I ate out last night, but I was the only person in the restaurant and sat at the opposite end of the room from the staff. It was only about 20 minutes. I know I wasn’t spreading it, as I just tested negative.

I am not going to write about all the ways other people think hurts my brain. I go against the common opinion and love Facebook but being exposed to other people’s thoughts can be painful. It can also be wonderful, and the trick is appreciate the good and let go of the bad. I just called an audible and I will mention one thing that has always bothered me from long before Facebook.

I grew up in the 60s when there was so huge emphasis on youth culture and the generation gap. The Archie Bunkers of the world were complaining about “Kids today” and young people said, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” People talked like this was new, but wasn’t, old people have always thought that kids “today” were a disgrace. There was a quote I read back then misattributed to Socrates:

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”

I just found out this isn’t Socrates but a summary of general complaints about the youth by the ancient Greeks, as written in a 1907 dissertation by a student, Kenneth John Freeman. Still the idea is there. This is how the elders have always thought. I’m sure there was an early Homo sapiens that wanted to say, “These kids are ruining things with their use of language. We got by find with grunts and gestures.” He wanted to say that, but he couldn’t as he didn’t have language.

On the other hand, I always knew that someday that I would be over thirty and wanted to be trusted. I loved my parents and many other older people and condemning them as a group was wrong. So, what do we have today? People my age with blissful amnesia of their youth are saying the same things about young people today. Take part in any baseball discussion and you’ll read that every single day. People think the way things were when they were 10 is perfection and all changes from that are bad. Going back to the Greeks they saw civilization in decline from the Golden Age of mythology to the Silver Age, of history to the Iron Age of the present.

The fact that many, by all means not all, are dismissive of people my age as “Boomer.” Is also wrong. When are we going to start judging people on the quality of their character instead of the color of their hair, or lack of hair? I’m afraid the answer is never but I can do my part by not taking part in generational warfare myself.

Now for breakfast. I should have finished this earlier as I have to leave the house in less than an hour for therapy.