“Our generation has had no great war, no great depression, our war is spiritual, our depression is our lives” Chuck Palehnick

            When I hear stories from the older generation, they often speak of wars, times of hardship, and times of injustice. When compared to my present day conditions, there is no actual comparison. The Vietnam war occurred, there was great protest, the nation watched every detail and aspect of the war unfold. Present day most of people do not realize that there is still a United States lead war in the Middle East. We are now a nation of individuals, soul seekers. There is not a great cause for us to rally around. Our concerns are now focused on I not we, we have become takers and not givers, users and not contributors. This has pushed us further apart from each other to the point where we are more affected by Instagram or Facebook being down, than the conflicts around the world. Is it that the term “Ignorance is bliss” and “What I don’t know can’t hurt me” has become a unified credence? Do we need a major event, a great war, great depression to remind us that there is more to us than ourselves?

Response by Nigel Allen