By 2045, one in five people will be sixty five and older. More than half will be people of color.

Most of us deal with family issues that suggest a growing divide between people and generations.

The common barriers may be attitudes about the future; financial, social, and political. Cultural differences such as choices of music, visual works, and moral standards are some of the more common topics that lend to that divide.

While oldsters cry “Why can’t things be like they usta be?” The young exclaim ;”Why can’t you catch up with things? The world is changing!” Many times the unfortunate accent is being placed upon being cool, rad, or awesome.

And, in past years there were pictures of groupies… Not selfies.

Now, that was a statement guaranteed to create division, because of it’s critical nature. Why should we not care about our “image”? I guess the simplest answer is that our image must go so much deeper, and that it must include our values and how we observe them.

And values, we do not manufacture ourselves; they are planted in us by our Creator and others.

Grandmas and Grandpas love to tell stories, and get out the album just or talk about the old days “when”….. Unfortunately for many of us elders we do not realize the impact of that common connection to the past. There may be no albums and a low regard for traditions; however simple they may have been. That responsibility has always been on the table of the parent in every generation. Build the story of stability and predictability by story and documentation.

While there may be voices that dismiss the whole idea of remembering the past for a stronger grip on the future; a lot of this stuff may not be cool at the moment, but if we warm up to the idea that much of what was, can and must happen again. It can be a favorable wind beneath young wings.

And Oldsters…really…… listen to the new stuff, Or have you given up flying altogether?