The Summer of Our Disillusionment

This past summer was a wake-up call for those of us who are boomers. We lost in quick succession several icons of our generation (Michael Jackson, Farrah Falcett, Mary Travers) plus notables from the older generation with whom we grew up (e.g. Walter Cronkite, Edward Kennedy). It's becoming harder and harder, isn't it, to maintain that boomer illusion that we will remain "forever young?"

This article from the New York Times explores the meaning of these recent losses for the bommer psyche. Particularly thought provoking are the thoughts of Marc Freedman. He points out that this summer was perhaps the first time when we became simultaneously aware of the shortness of time but also the opportunity to still have an impact after 50 as demonstrated by those other boomer celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Al Gore. "Never before", Freedman says,"have there been so many people who have so much experience and the time left to do something with it.”