Greatest Generation:

Although not central to the next crisis, the remaining members of the pre-war generations will have an important role to play, particularly in the next few years. As our nation's connection to the World World II era (the last major crisis period) you have a knowledge base that is indispensable. You are the guardians of the old virtues and values, the living memory of a more humane age. By giving guidance and support to the younger generations, you will help shape the world by proxy. Read the other entries for more information.

Members of your generation will be assuming the moral leadership of the nation in the near future. You (personally) need to be in the vanguard of this movement, providing a strong and consistent ethic of humanism.

Generational Strengths: Creativity, compassion, idealism, originality, tolerance, spirituality, free-thought, commitment to justice, moral courage.

...And Weaknesses: Narcissism, extremism, lack-of-focus, credulousness, hypocrisy, moral relativism.

A Prescription for Action:

You must speak out publicly, persuasively and often, about moral questions of every stripe.

The main fight (as always) will be against extremists and hard-liners who peddle simplistic answers. The solution, however, is not to wallow in ambivalence and equivocation. You must hold true to your own ideals, yet make peace with the values of your parent's generation. You must continue to believe in equity and excellence, community without conformity, standards, but not standardization.

In order to make this possible, you will have to broker a peace accord in three major areas of values-conflict:

• Religion vs. Science: Reclaim the mid-ground between fundamentalism and atheism that has gotten lost. Religion contains truth at a deeper level than the literal facts of science. The ultimate reality of God is not threatened by our growing understanding of the universe.

  The Key: We must give up the vain belief that we can ever completely understand either God or the universe. Every human understanding is limited, and thus flawed. The imperfect theologies of religion are not without meaning and utility, any more than are the imperfect theories of science.

• Technology vs. Humanity: Historically, technology has been humanity's greatest servant. The unregulated scope of its interference, however, will increasingly bring it into conflict with the best interests of humanity and the world. Rather than trying to stop technological progress, channel it in new directions. The wholesale manipulation of human life, in all phases, must cease. We have reached a point where further interference will cause psychological damages that outweigh the physical benefits. (The only exception is the ongoing fight against disease).

  The Key: Technology has traditionally been used to control and manipulate the natural world. However, it can just as easily be used to help use harmonize with that world.

• Self vs. Society: America has elevated self-esteem into a cult of autotheistic idolatry --the wholesale worship of one’s own self. Yet the self can only be strong and healthy in the framework of a solid society (just as true individuality is a boon to a healthy society).

  The Key: Promote the structures of community as a support forindividuality and originality. Focus on unique individuals as a building block fornurturing communities.

Generation X has been unfairly undervalued by those of other generations. Despite the slacker stereotype, your generation is the one others will look to when it comes time to actually getting anything worthwhile done. When that day comes, do your best... but don't have any expectations for grateful recognition!.

Generational Strengths: Realistic, pragmatic, honest, non-hypocritical, self-reliant, perceptive, genuine, entrepreneurial, effective.

...And Weaknesses: Critical, mistrustful, not-team-players, pessimistic, peripatetic, little-group-loyalty.

A Prescription for Action:

It's time to infiltrate the groups you lost faith in as a kid: The schools, government, big business, the church, the military. Find out how they work, and why. You'll soon face the task of breaking them apart and putting them back together.

How to do it:

• Listen to what the old guard says, and maybe even try it out. You can't afford to miss possibly good information.

• But don't take anything at face value: If they reallyknew what they were doing, things wouldn't be as bad as they are.

• When it comes time to take over, pick a concise, focused vision, and do whatever it takes to get there. For many institutions (such as the schools, or the criminal justice system) simply being run correctly will provide collateral moral benefits.

The Key:Although your parent's generation defaulted on their promises, their goals weren't bad, it was their execution that was lousy.

Your generation has been the victim and the beneficiary of great expectations. You have the potential to be all that they think you can be, and more. But it is unlikely that you have received the preparation that you need.

Generational Strengths: Enthusiastic, cohesive, clean-living, optimistic, respectful, community-minded, hard-working, studious, achievers.

...And Weaknesses: Conformist, shallow, unoriginal, superficial, apocalyptic.

A Prescription for Action:

Apply your legendary study skills to the following subjects:

• History: Look at crises and wars of the past. Measure each in the toll of destruction and human suffering. Remember that you may the man or woman on the frontline someday.

• Virtues: Nobility, courage, compassion, loyalty, honor, and the other human virtues are the stock in trade of the true hero. The strong must always defend the weak and the oppressed.

• The Arts: Great art and music are about the human condition. Study not to comprehend and analyze, but to develop your soul. Instead of being a warrior, become a warrior-poet; a soldier with the heart of an artist, not an artist with the soul of a mercenary.

• Yourself: Study your own dark side. This is not a natural occupation for those of your generation, but a necessary one. Ponder the harm you might produce. None of us is as wholly good as we like to believe. The greatest evils have always been perpetuated by those who believed themselves to be entirely on the side of the angels.

• Most importantly, study humanity. You must always fight on the side of humanity, and you must understand what it is for which you are fighting.

This unborn generation will be the victims of the beneficiaries of what we all do in the coming years. When you assess your goals, think about them. They could be great artists, noble visionaries, scientists, humanitarians. They could be the battered heirs of a destroyed planet. They could be the computer-human melding of science-fiction nightmare. Or, they might never be born at all. The choice is not theirs, it is ours.