Words of Wisdom

These kids today

Just what is going to happen with these kids today? It’s a query as old as parenting itself, and with some 2,600 Class of 2022 graduates having just received their diplomas in Marion County, it seems like a good time to ponder an answer.

Of course, times have changed. There was a time in the not too distant past when parents asked the question out of concern about whether their children would become mature, productive adults prepared to take their place in the world and make it a better place.

Today, in a world too often defined by division and disillusion, pollution and pandemic, more and more parents are asking the question out of a different concern -- that baby boomers and Gen Xers are leaving their children and grandchildren a world in a mess. Alas, the question has become what kind of world are we leaving these kids today?

Let me just say, relax, things will be OK.

A few weeks back, I went to an engagement party for one of my son’s high school friends. They’re now established millennials, a decade out of high school. If you’re worried about the world, don’t be. Just meet this crew.

What I encountered among the party-goers were educated, hard-working young adults with good jobs, big dreams and strong ethics. There was the concrete plant supervisor, the entrepreneur, the home builder and the insurance salesman, among others. They all want the American Dream and are working hard to achieve it because they believe they can. Believing is everything.

They are cognizant of the many ills facing the country and the world. They have opinions, sometimes strong ones, but are much more civil when encountering a divergent view from someone else than some of their elders. They’re more interested in fixing things than fighting.

They are worried about housing prices. They are worried about access to health care. They are worried about the quality of public education. (Sound familiar?) Yet, they think globally and, yes, digitally and see the world much differently than their parents did at their age.

Marion County’s most recent graduates seem to be following in similar footsteps. The school system has an initiative called “The 3 E’s: Enrollment, Employment and Enlistment.” Enrollment means they want to go to college. Employment, they want to get a job. Enlistment, of course, indicates they want to join the military. During their junior year they are asked to pick one of the 3 E’s.

This year’s graduates, or at least 2,146 of them, chose their E’s as follows:

Enrollment: 1,549, or 72 percent.

Employment: 443, or 21 percent

Enlistment: 154, or 7 percent

Bottom line: Young people today are thoughtfully preparing for the future, their future. They’re getting ready to chase the American Dream in earnest.

I look around and see the many wonders that have become everyday parts of life in my lifetime. I mean, we put a man on the moon, created a raft of home conveniences like microwaves and big-screen TVs and, lest we forget, invented the internet. And that’s just for starters.

But I also see the dying springs and shorelines. I see the widening gap in eco-

BY BRAD ROGERS

nomic opportunity. I see a democracy teetering at times. I see unfathomable violence in our streets.

Yet, I have faith. Faith in the next generation – yes, these kids today – that they will quit talking about what’s wrong with the world and start doing what it takes to fix it. Because they believe.

No, they won’t solve every problem, maybe not even most of them. But I know they care what’s happening to the world. I know they want to own a house, raise a family and, in the end, have a fulfilling and successful life.

They want to live in a world that is fair and clean and full of promise – just like their parents.

So, just what is going to happen with these kids today? They’re going to work, raise families and, hopefully, clean up the mess we’re leaving for them.