Darwin, Lincoln and Us

Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln and Modern Life, is a good read. Smart, well written, non condescending and large visioned. His case that Lincoln and Darwin--born on the exact same day in history --February 12, 1809 (any astrologers listening?) shaped profoundly the late Victorian view of the world--and modern liberalism is well argued. Gopnik--an accomplished New Yorker writer focuses on both mens' use of language and shows how their literary style enabled them to make their arguments resonate beyond the elites. Lincoln found a way to look at history--as a working out of the balance of forces the moral fate of mankind--a Providence that acted without regard to individuals throughout history. Darwin--came more or less to the same conclusion--in terms of our place in the universe using methods 180 degrees different from Lincoln. The interest is not in the profundity of these ideas--ideas that could easily have been dismissed or ignored in the hands of other less accomplished writers--but in the ways they advanced their ideas and gained large and influential followings. Both created a new kind of scientfic based secularism--one that did not so much banish faith--but placed religion on a different less central track in our affairs. What does this have to do with boomers? Some thoughts come to mind--boomers questioned the way that liberal ideas had been handed down to government (in the post JFK era) in the service of flag and country to justify a militaristic set of policies that benefited one group rather than the larger whole. Instead they urged a new foreign and domestic policies --policies based on anti colonialism, pluralism rather than the numbing 50s conformity and freedom of expression. Boomers rebelled against the way the mass media worked hand in hand with governments in the "manufacturing of consent." In doing so they turned to Freud and Marx--(successors at least to Darwin--Lincoln having got lost somewhere in the mix). Freud and Marx back in the sixties needed a bit of spicing up so their latter day interpreters--Marcuse, Fanon, Levi Strauss, O'Brown, Reich)got to work to do battle with the military industrial complex and post colonialism. Since these intellectuals had no real lasting answers to society's ills-it is not surprising that the 60s counter culture movement such as it was --ended up in such a mess.

As the new right gained ascendancy in the post Goldwater years--conservative intellectuals such as William F Buckley seemed to offer some moral spine to what was perceived as directionless social forces. But what was lost in the mix was the moral beliefs articulated by Lincoln--that democracy --government of the people--by the people-- embodied a more important set of values than government as the uncritical friend of the rich and powerful.

Possibly now under Obama--influenced strongly by Lincoln as well as Darwin (note the new Presidents' support of stem cell research, his respect for the science supporting aggressive approaches to combating global warming)can help bring us back to a return to the older version of liberalism. Arguably, Obama's political project is now possible because the right ca no longer use race and gender as a barrier to social progress or employ crude patriotic appeals to support policies that only benefit the rich and powerful. Our victory as boomers was key to this success--but as in all things but particularly politics--there are no lasting victories--and no permanent defeats--we must keep on working for the values we believe in.

Boomers Unprepared for Retirement

Boomers who tended in their youth to live for the moment need to wake up according to Washington Post columinist David Ignatius--who writes as a fellow boomer

"People have accused the baby boomers of being whiners almost since we were born. But just wait until we get to retirement age and discover that we don't have nearly enough money to take care of our "golden years." That's going to be the ultimate generational bummer."

According to new research boomers who have not taken seriously the need to prepare for their "golden years" are about to get hit with another whammy--the recent economic meltdown:

"53 percent of households that hold at least one retirement account, the median combined balance was a mere $45,000.Hold on, you say, that figure includes some younger workers who haven't started saving in earnest yet. Okay, for households headed by persons between the ages of 55 and 64, the median value of all retirement accounts was just $100,000. Purcell noted that for a 65-year-old man retiring last month, that $100,000 would buy an annuity that would pay a paltry $700 a month for life, based on current interest rates. And here's an extra bit of bad news: The Fed data used in Purcell's study were gathered in 2007. With stock market declines since then, the median account balances are probably even lower now."
Ignatius quotes from a poll released in January by the National Institute on Retirement Security showing that "83 percent.. were worried about having a secure retirement; of those with a 401(k) account, only about half thought they would have enough money to retire. And 71 percent said it was harder to retire now than for previous generations."

So no longer is the line "I am going to work until I drop" a throwaway line--it is going to be all too true of our fellow boomers. Boomers helped by people like Madoff, may have killed retirement as a serious option in America for a generation or more, except as an option for the extremely wealthy--and even many of those (haven't you noticed) --prefer to keep on working.

Are Boomers Prepared for Alzheimers?

Alzheimer's is the second most-feared illness in America, following cancer, and may affect as many as five million Americans. As the baby-boom generation moves through retirement, that number could soar to more than 11 million by 2040, and have a huge economic impact on America's already fragile healthcare system."
Maria Shriver (wife of the California Governor) is raising awareness about the need for research into this tragic disease and offering some hope in focusing on some recent discoveries that will accelerate a cure if further funding is forthcoming.
According to the HBO Alzheimers Project Shriver (whose father died of the disease and is the projects executive producer) described Alzheimer's as "an epidemic for this generation", saying that as Baby Boomers age, the disease is coming right at them and something needs to be done.
She said a cure could be within reach if the world focused on it, allocated the funds for research, and pressured lawmakers.

On a personal note, I started my website LifestoryDVD in part as a way to help people who maybe in the early stages of the disease at least record their memories for their children and grandchildren, and use lifestory telling as a therapy to at least help delay the full onset of the disease.