Let me say at the outset that this post is not intended to be either political or controversial but is borne out of something that I have been thinking about and have discussed with friends and colleagues.
I think every generation has a tumultuous event to contend with that will stay with them for years. I can only shape this in terms of my experiences, my parents experiences, my Grandparents experiences and my children’s experiences.
My paternal Grandfather survived Ypres whilst my maternal Grandfather was an officer in India, China and an artillery gunner in Gravesend who shot down one of the first Zeppelins over the UK.
Both of them in their advancing years reminisced about the First World War to some extent fondly if that is the right word. As they neared their final days both of them had recurring hallucinations that dispelled the fondness which must surely have been a front.
My mum and dad born in 1931 and 1929 respectively were both too young to be active in the war but have vivid experiences. Birmingham was a target for nightly bombing raids and they clearly recall the air raid shelters.Mum was evacuated to a family in Somerset but Dad was not so lucky. He often recalled to me the night of the fire bombing of Coventry – 20 miles away he said the sky was a vivid Orange for a number of hours. They both endured rationing for a number of years after the war and I think theirs was a very different austerity to the one we have endured more recently.
I was born in 1956 – the first crisis of my childhood was the Cuban Missile Crisis which I was too young to recall but which must have been terrifying. The earliest international crisis I recall was the 6 day Israeli/Arab war and the ITV newscaster clearly saying that if the superpowers became involved there would be a possible World War. At 11 years old that was enough to scare the wits out of me. After that I remember the troubles coming to the mainland and being in Birmingham the night of the pub bombings.
Later I recall the Reagan Years and the frequent changing of Soviet leaders – Brezhnev, Chernenko and Andropov in quick succession – the latter two probably dead for days before the death was announced.
The downing of the Korean Airliner and Reagans Evil Empire speech. Thankfully the sunlight years of Gorbachev came afterwards but then there was the momentous fall of communism and the taking hostage of Yeltsin that were potential flashpoints.
In 1990 my son was born and his early childhood was relatively free of any serious flashpoint until 9/11 and the horrific events that followed. He was scared witless and I felt powerless to diminish those fears.
He was 11 and experiencing the same fear that my 11 year old self experienced at the time of the 6 day war. A new age but a repeat of the past.
My daughter was born in 1999 and again relatively free of any real tumultuous event until this pandemic. In relation to the Cold War, The Cuban Missile crisis and other events how does this crisis compare? For what its worth my daughter is self isolating in London, furloughed from her job, studying from home and we pay her rent so she is actually quite sanguine about the situation although not about the government.
So the point of all this is I guess that we all have to face critical moments in our life where the situation is completely out of our control and we have to grin and bear it with fortitude.
As a child my biggest fear was war, as an adult my biggest fear was having to fight in a war. As I am now 63 that risk has passed. Now my biggest hopes are that neither of my kids has to experience war in their lifetime – the rest we can overcome. I am not a fan of lockdown but I guess sitting in front of Netflix with a glass of wine is preferable to running to an air raid shelter.
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Great post @SteveT. I remeber the Cuban Missile Crisis vividly. Beiing sat on the pavement of the avenue of which I lived with my friends aged 10-14, I was 12 at the time. We didn`t know if we`d be sitting together the next day. Truly terrifying times, especially considering our age.
The 60`s were a time of joy (the music, the fashion, the brightness/colour of the times) and fear (Cuban Miissile Crisis, Vietnam, 6 Day War, the assassination of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King). I came out of the 60`s a young man hardened by my fears and also optimistic, I had my future in my own hands. Cocked a few things up but as they say `don`t look back.
I`m not going to go further because you have eloquently described what we of a certain age and those young enough to remember, the following decades.
I hope for my children, grandchildren, great-children and for everyone else we come through the present crisis with strength and the willingness to help each other in the difficult times to come.
As Pete Seger sang;
To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose
Under heaven
A time to buid up
A time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
80s were a bit scary. Falklands, ongoing Cold war followed by wars in Europe in the 90s after the wall came down. 9/11 now seems less than how it felt at the time.
This is the biggest thing in my lifetime I think as far as a way of life being completely changed as it would be in wartime. My 13 year old daughter keeps saying 2020 is the worst year ever (and she had such hope for it), it started with Australia consumed by fires, brief threat of WW3 with US/Iran sabre rattling and a passenger plane downed (full of Canadians) then CV-19, and now we have murdering hornets to worry about…
And on the 8th May it is snowing in Ottawa, seems appropriate somehow.
I am aware that, while the eradication of my social life is unfortunate, that social life is well established and will bounce back when the chance comes. But if a pandemic had happened at a different time of my life, the effect on me would have been profound. Rather, the profound positive things that happened to me in my teens and twenties, and even later, would have been suffocated. It’s the restriction on freedom of movement that cuts deepest. When you are that age where you are leaving home, life and maybe relationships are opening out, you are exposing yourself (stop it, Moose) to new culture, influence and experience, you need freedom. Money helps too, and the current generation of teens and twenties are going to find that harder to come by. I fear that this generation will be stifled.
A mate of mine was telling me how his daughter had said to him ‘We’re going to be known as the Covid kids, aren’t we’ and he wept. The dreams he had for his kids are on hold.
That echoes my thoughts . I said to some people at work that I was glad this happened at 63 not at 33 for me. I am more financially secure and closer to retirement but it’s not about me its about my kids. I worry more for my daughter than she does for herself and I am pleased to some extent that she is unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
My son is in Iceland where I think they have had about 7 deaths but have only just lifted lockdown this last week – he just carries on regardless I will worry for both of them , no need for them to worry too
A thought to cheer us all up: how long before we learn Covid is a dry run for the next assault? All the old boys saying how they were then so worried by that pesky thing, little did we know etc etc. Where’s Lance Corporal Fraser when we need him, eh?
I’m sorry, but I have no time for this restriction on movement/formative years. A vaccine will be found, and relatively quickly. The rest is just bullshit. There’s absolutely no comparison in terms of historical perspective. Since when has any generation had the right to claim dispensation?
Hey @RobC great to have you back.
I am not claiming any dispensation – I was trying to highlight that all generations have a different cross to bear. If you like’ life isn’t a bowl of cherries’
I have been relatively lucky in my personal life – very little tragedy or hardship so in many ways I am blessed. I stop worrying about International events around the time of the Balkans War when I realised I coulnt have any effect on the madness.
This Coronavirus situation has put paid to that – trying to avoid as much of the tv news as possible as it is so unrelentingly dark as to be disturbing. Instead I will read a news report in the morning and check the numbers in the evening and skip the rest. Keeps me sane – well by my standards anyway.
Hi Steve. Thanks, and my apologies if my post seemed a bit snippy, which it does to me on re-reading. It was not my intention to personalise it, I assure you. I was trying to make a much broader point. You are quite right about the madness and I am also staying detached from the wall to wall white noise of blathering. It is indeed the only way to stay sane. Keep on keeping on Steve, as the man sang.
Greta says, you aint seen nothing yet. 😱
I feel sorry for her. A cynically manufactured modern day child saint. This whole eco thing is far deeper and darker, and yes, there is a genuine problem.
Born in 1970 and therefore relatively untouched by anything big in childhood.
I remember the (almost) nightly reporting of the IRA, John Craven announcing Russia had invaded Afghanistan, and how Robert Mugabe was a ray of hope for Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, and the constant talk of imminent Nuclear War (I lived 20 miles from Greenham Common, and on of my teachers – a CND supporting hippy woman – told the whole class this was the end of the free world and we should all (a group of 12 year olds) demonstrate).
Was aware of The Falklands because one of my Primary School Teachers lived there, but I freely admit I didn’t understand it.
The Gulf War (90/01) was probably the first real threat – there was talk of conscription if it escalated (wasn’t there – or was it me that started that rumour).
9/11, and what followed – 7/7, London Bridge Bombing, Manchester Arena – are the main events that have caused concern. But not a disruption like we are experiencing now.
It’s a threat – and 30,000 lost lives is not a good thing at all – but it is not insurmountable (just a bit awkward at the moment) – unlike a World War, there does appear to be a way through this.
My grand-daughter has turned 1 under lockdown, and now started walking. She’ll be talking next – my fear is that small kids need a level of social interaction to develop. An elongated lockdown (and I’m not advocating lifting any restrictions at this moment) could well be harming to her and others (including my daughter who is probably going batty cooped up in her maisonette with only the two of them for company)
Yes. Children who would be starting nursery/primary school are going to be affected by the lack of interaction with others like themselves. Really missing out on life experiences if it persists for any length of time. Especially as families these days, in our part of the world, tend to have only one or two kids.
Going to be doubly bad if we have a warm, sunny and dry summer under lockdown.
I recall being a carefree 11 year old when, one morning, one of our teachers came in and “guaranteed” our whole class would be conscripted into a pan-European army fighting the U.S.S.R. before the end of our teens. Now open your books at page 15…
For me, as a Swede born in 1967, nothing has shocked me more or had a bigger impact on my life than the asassination of Olof Palme. And I doubt that anything else will.
As the VE Day celebrations kick in, I am relieved my mother is no longer here. Wartime was life changing for her, but not in the ways you might expect.
Her father volunteered for service because the money was very good compared to what he earned as a labourer in Bradford. To give some context to this, he was a member of the IRA and despised the English. When he joined up, he was furious to learn that most of the money he was paid was sent to his wife to support their 5 children back home in Bradford. I have no idea of what happened while he was in active service ( he was not talked of fondly) , but there are photos of him in uniform and he was at Dunkirk.
My mother remembered the war years as peaceful. Bradford was only bombed once and the family was receiving a meagre (but stable) income. There was just the children and her mother and no shouting and no fights.
On VE Day, my mother must have been about 13 – the eldest of her siblings apart from a sister with special needs (she was described as “mentally handicapped”). Her mother – my granny – had left the children to fend for themselves for about 3 days with no explanation. My mother had no idea what was happening they didn’t know if their parents were going to return. They did return – after boozing for several days with friends. My mother remembers hoping that her father wouldn’t be coming back, but there he was.
In the book Angela’s Ashes, the father of the family was the opposite of a breadwinner. On payday, he went straight to the pub and spent all of the weeks’ money. This is exactly the pattern of behaviour that my grandfather displayed. My granny was no shrinking violet and would confront him when he returned. He responded with his fists – and now he was a returning war hero, he became worse.
These experiences only came to light when my mother talked about it in her 70s and, particularly, when Angela’s Ashes came out. The years following VE Day scarred her for life, despite a public veneer of cheerfulness, depression and anxiety was constantly there, even though she found stability, gentleness and unconditional love from my father. He hardly ever raised his voice and never laid a finger on any of us.
Her experience explained the deep devotion to the church, who helped the family during some very rough times. She also saw at first hand the emergence of the welfare state and the NHS, which explained the look of abject horror on her face when I asked her if she was going to vote for Ted Heath (I was about 4 at time, in my defence).
It also explained why she was never one for putting up the bunting when the anniversaries came about.
That is very moving @Black-Celebration and puts a very different perspective on the different stories that are recounted at these types of historical remembrance. Not everyone who lived through those times shares the same view
Thanks @SteveT . I should say that I have no problem with people commemorating what must have been a joyful day.
I have, as a blessing or a curse, been largely blase about world events that I can’t. Someone early in my life used the phrase “locus of control” and I oversteer to that a bit – if it’s outside my locus, no point stressing about it.
On a smaller scale, as an example, our move to Aus was due on 8/1, and my – well, our – entire existence was gearing up to that; jobs, rugby, personal life, the whole thing. Right now, we don;t know what’s happening, because someone in the Pentagon will make a decision, and so will someone in NT. I have friends who would be stressing; we’re just taking life a day at a time and what will be will be.
TL;dr: no point worrying about stuff you can’t affect.
I agree with that and try to live my life the same way however this current pandemic put me in a position where I had to consider furloughing people. When it is someone else’s livelihood that you have control over it’s very hard not to worry about it
I had that in 2008 when the downturn hit and we laid off 29% of our workforce.
All we could do was focu on how we run the business and the people – the external factors we could only manage but so far.
Evolution in motion is what this is. Only we never experienced it before.
I’m very lucky to be in full-time employment, as my job is considered an essential service (the firm I work for makes the printers and ink which print the best before dates on the pasta, wine and bogroll the stockpilers are hoarding). And I can do 95% of my work from home. So I am occupied weekdays 9-5.
I’ve also been taught, for the good of my own health, not to worry about things I can’t control.
It is today’s teens I’m bothered about. My lad is in year 10 and daughter in year 12. They both have limited amounts of online study. College closed at half term and it looks like they won’t be going back until September. That’s one quarter of their GCSE/A-level teaching time gone.
This year’s year 11s, year 13s, and final-year undergraduates, are going to have their exam grades based on course work. My neighbour’s daughter is distraught, as she’s a crammer and was hoping to bump up her grades through last-minute revision.
They are going to be the generation who didn’t complete their education.
Education is what prevented me from becoming the next generation of farmhand/railway trackside crew/factory worker.
Let alone what the workplace will look like for job-hunters after the largest macro-economic shock since the South Sea Bubble.
My concern is that the job situation for the youngsters will be so severe that all of the working conditions that we built up like minimum wage, working wage etc may disappear as potential employees become desperate to work and potential employers are desperate to keep costs down.
It certainly happened in Greece at the height of their financial crisis.
Yes, quite.
I graduated (from a fully-paid degree, with only £300 of student debt) during a recession, yet still managed to find a Grad Trainee job. The money wasn’t great but it gave me enough for records and gigs.
It strikes me that their lives will be on hold for a few years. And so will ours – I don’t think I’ll be retiring early, if ever.
And that’s my big concern. My youngest daughter graduates this summer – with the attendant debt.
There’s no ceremony or recognition, her uni time has just sort of petered out.
Her plan was to have the summer off and the get out there in the job market.
Oh dear … everyone in her position may be in for a tough time now
I’m hoping my place – big US company and large employer in local area, largely unaffected by Corona – may have something going for her if needed.
I;ve tended to sail through pretty much unaffected by the events of my lifetime. The biggest shock of my life to date was relatively recent.
The killing of my nephew (brother’s youngest son) Chris in Sangin, Afghanistan, by an IED while serving with 40 Commando, Royal Marines.
On this very day, as it happens, 10 years ago.
I was at work and was told by his mother in a tearful phone call, probably only a couple of hours after she and my brother received the dreaded knock on the door from two uniformed liason officers. Still think of him often and miss him.