An Inescapable Cycle

Generally, people like to think they have control over their own lives. On a broader scale, politicians like to think they have control over the government. But what if all of politics, all of history, is really one big repeating cycle? This is exactly what William Strauss and Neil Howe argue in their groundbreaking book, Generations. Since the Puritan generation in 1584, American history has maintained a four part generational pattern that has dictated crisises, triumphs, and everything in between. The four "generation types" include the following: idealist, reactive, civic, adaptive. In the current cycle, the aging Baby Boomers are the idealists, the disillusioned Generation Xers the reactives, and the Millennials the civics. Any adaptives are virtually toddlers. The pattern repeats, with a crisis at its "rightful" place in each cycle. As I read this historical perspective, I was at first incredulous. The future cannot be predicted. But as I kept reading their explanation, I became more and more convinced. The timing of a massive crisis can "easily" be predicted--though the nature of the crisis cannot. Eerily, this book vaguely predicts the current issues of terrorism and the economy. According to this model, Millennials are like the G.I. Generation--and they made it through their crisis (World War II) with flying colors. Hopefully, the Millennials will do the same.