Some Thinking

I have been thinking back on the 60s lately and what was happening. It was my coming of age and we all have a coming of age, mine just happened to be then. I didn’t always agree with what was happening, some due to my own naivete, but now I understand. I have to say with the benefit of time passed, I have come to learn that the messaging was right. How soon it was all missed and forgotten by those that came right after – such a shame.

I have been out working in the garden and thinking some more about this post. In fairness, I should explain my thinking. I am involved in a never ending quest to understand our current time, culture, and the overall state we are in. I thought I needed to go back a little way in history, like to the post WWII period and the 50’s would be a good starting point.

I chose to read a book by David Halberstam titled, “The Fifties.” He writes well and I am surprised (as usual) how much I am learning about some history I thought I knew well. I am hoping this will help me to better understand today. I think it will.

To pick up my statement about the disconnect with the 60’s and the generations that followed, I believe much of this had to do with a trade off, i.e., the trade off of making a living in the post 60s economy and not thinking too much about what the 60’s was all about. I think this trade off is repeated by many today with the problems of climate change and global warming. I suspect many are not so much climate change deniers as they are willing to ignore the science in exchange for making a living in the current economy. This denial has been supported by an attitude of rejecting those with education and learning as elites. This attitude had some big support in the 2nd Bush administration, again as a way to put down anybody not on board with our current oil based economy. Think Karl Rove and some of the others in the Bush administration including the president.

And then, with this sublimation of your conscience in order to be economically pragmatic, it helps to find a church that will tell you that Jesus was not into science. In one fell swoop you can deny climate change and the need to get a Covid vaccination and do it all in the name of faith. You are ready to start chanting “Drill baby, drill” as you are a believer in the oil based economy and your church has your back.

I titled this piece, “Some Thinking” and that is what I am sharing here.