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We Did What We Could

My generation did what we could To make the world a better place But sometimes for our feverish efforts We got nothing but a slap in the face. Weighy problems we could not solve In spite of our many concerted efforts So, we passed them to the next generation To find ways to overcome our discomforts. Overall, we improved the quality of life Made mistakes along the way, we admit, Some of them so far-reaching we regret But, we did not on our laurels sit. Your world will be different, I am guessing, From the world that was handed to us And while I won't be around I am certain You'll have some thorny issues to discuss. You won't be able to solve all the problems Facing you in your new and strange world Take some time to reflect on the criticisms At us, your ancestors, you cavalierly hurled. You won't solve all of your world's woes Even the ones you are responsible for But give us even a modicum of respect And admit we triumphed over some, for sure. written August 12, 2021

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Caren Krutsinger

Date: 8/15/2021 3:53:00 AM

I am terrified of the global warming they are going to have to solve; I have tg stop watch watching the science channel! You are right; most of us do the best we can.

L Milton Hankins
Date: 8/15/2021 9:58:00 AM

I think we do, Caren, and we reach the place where we have exhausted our resources. Yes, it is up to the younger folks, I think, to get a handle on this one.

Rico Leffanta

Date: 8/13/2021 12:02:00 PM

America's downfall began when the powers that be caused the downfall of Henry Ford, who believed American workers deserved decent housing and healthcare, and that excessive profit grows greed and corruption. Your generation certainly did NOT do what could be done for civil rights, education, health care, business ethics, warmongers, et al, so we now have 1/3rd of Americans who do not believe in Climate Change!

L Milton Hankins
Date: 8/13/2021 1:45:00 PM

Hmmm...I don't know what your generation is, but I was born at the beginning of World War II in the Pacific, and I feel we did a great deal to change the directions of the world at that time. I could list some of the giant strides we made in every area you mentioned, but we still fell woefully short. Excuse me if I say that we have about 1/3 of Americans who are morons these days, but that is not something I would blame on my generation. Always love your comments, Rico. You are a thinking human being, and I always love that!

John Lawless

Date: 8/13/2021 7:04:00 AM

Contrary to popular belief "hindsight ain't 20/20". The big red X marked every mistake I made in grammar school. So I strove not to make a mistake. Wonder what would have happened if the ones I got right got all the attention...HMMMMM. An interesting write Milt.

L Milton Hankins
Date: 8/13/2021 8:28:00 AM

Thanks, John. You have brought up a very interesting and important consideration. I don't have the answer, but I suspect it might have been quite different.