I am working on a raw idea here and I would really love some feedback from those of you who read these words.
Collective cultural memory matters. Unless those of us who are now growing older document what we've witnessed, and how we felt about the historical events in our time on earth, in the form of memorable stories told in a form understood by our grandchildren (or those children we have bonded with, family or not), the human race is doomed. That is a strong inference I draw from various academic researchers, particularly historians.
We also live in a society that does not routinely honor its aged members. So as elders, we are at risk of not having any voice whatsoever unless we solve the problem I have posed. I could easily point you to some scary evidence about what we Boomers face as we age, should we not have anyone who cares enough to protect our voices as we enter what used to be called our "golden years."
What can we do about this?
I have many memories of the aftermath of 9/11 and they include taking my 7-year-old son to the first baseball game after play resumed. We both held American flags, stood, sang "God Bless America" and cried in the 7th inning.
Frankly, I'd never felt enough part of this society on an individual level enough to ever have done that before. But on that night I did.
That's an example of what I am talking about.
How can we best tell these stories?
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