The Time Has Come

Many Baby Boomers never thought they would live to see this day.
On Jan. 20, 2009, an African-American man, Barack Obama, was sworn in as the nation’s 44th president.
For those who were beaten working on behalf of civil rights four decade ago, the time has come. For those who endured the political setbacks of the 1980s and the downward spiral of our country the past eight years, the time has come.
What many worked for and dreamed of has come to pass. Make no mistake. The work to set our country on a better path has just begun. But for a few hours on Inauguration Day 2009, we can bask in the glory of knowing the time did indeed come.
Now, for Baby Boomers, the time has also come for us to take on a new role.
Our generation needs to acknowledge that we didn’t do a superb job when we had the reins of power. We produced two presidents that presided over a sharply divided nation. The businesses we have managed, for the most part, are not good corporate citizens. Our nation is not the happy patchwork of people we talked about when we were coming of age.
However, we have set the table for the future. We have started the wheels rolling on issues such as equal rights, the environment and technological achievement.
Most of all we raised young people who proved to be the engine for the election of President Obama. These younger generations are more tolerant of people of different ethnicities. They are strident when it comes to gay rights. They care deeply about the ecology of our planet. And now they are politically engaged and they have a leader who will inspire them.
Baby Boomers should be content to hand over the levers of power to our younger generations. Let them rule the White House, the board rooms and the school yards. We have brought forth young citizens quite capable of doing good.
Baby Boomers can now assume the role of senior advisors. Much like Vice President Joe Biden will provide in the Obama administration.
We can show the way by volunteering, mentoring and setting a better example. We can become tribal elders by using our half-century of experience and knowledge to guide the younger people when they seek our counsel.
We still have 30 productive years left. That’s 10,000 days. It’s a different role for us. But it is an important one. It is one we can be remembered for.