I am posting this article today, June 20, 2016 at exactly 3:34 PM Pacific Standard Time. What’s the reason for such precision? It is the exact moment when summer signals its arrival in North America–which, hopefully, includes Seattle where we live.
This observation is particularly notable because as the sun takes its sweet time setting, a full moon will appear just above the horizon. Apparently, summer solstice and a full moon have not occurred on the same calendar day since 1967.
This trivia fascinates me. I was 15, quickly going on 16, during the summer of 1967. While I was marginally aware of world events, many others who were just a few years older than me were celebrating the “Summer of Love.” Flocks of them headed to San Francisco with flowers in their hair, unleashing a frenzy of rebellion, immorality and a lot of drug use. I was oblivious to what some leading-edge Boomers were doing at the time, but I now understand that a counter-culture revolution started that summer.
The same season is also coined the “Long Hot Summer.” It was when the “heat of the sun combined with the heat of social conflict,” according to Malcolm McLaughlin, author of The Long Hot Summer of 1967: Urban Rebellion in America, It was a calamitous time as riots and protests erupted in cities across the country.
I can’t help but wonder what kind of summer this coming one will be. As a nation, we are unsettled, fearful and on-edge. We flirt with social conflict as profound and deadly as what characterized the days of the 60s. At that time, Boomers reacted in different ways. Not everyone “turned on, tuned in and dropped out.” Others were launching social service programs, youth ministries and mission enterprises. Boomers were innovative, involved and indomitable.
I think we have another chance to respond to desperate times. Summer 2016 can be a better version of the “Summer of Love” as we respond to the needs and hurts of our world.
In a May 16, 2016, TIME magazine article, Dr. Laura Carstenson, Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, asks if Baby Boomers are isolating themselves from the world. Her current research shows an increase of apathy and decrease in social involvement among today’s mature adults. The thought is alarming and could be discouraging. Dr. Carstenson ends the article with a challenge to Boomers to reclaim their cries for change and revolution. She says,
This revolution wouldn’t look like the revolution imagined back at Woodstock; there would be far less chanting in the streets. Instead, boomers could become an army of millions of gray-haired people, better educated than any previous generation, armed with unprecedented financial resources and decades of experience, ready to solve the practical problems of life. This revolution could finally help the nation become a better place for young people. As Marc Freedman, the CEO of Encore.org, says, “Maybe we can stop trying to stay young and instead rally to help people who actually are.” Now wouldn’t that be a fitting legacy for the Woodstock generation?
As you look into the sky on this beginning-of-the-summer night, consider what it might mean for us–as one of the largest generations ever–to make a difference, to leave the world a better place and to live a legacy of peace, hope and faith. That’s what Re-Ignite is about–helping Boomers find purpose and passion in this stage of life so they can impact the world.
Author’s Note: We are also writing about these possibilities in our soon-to-be-published book, Third Calling: What are you doing the rest of your life? Watch for announcements about the release date!
written by Leona Bergstrom, Director, Re-Ignite
Copyright © Re-Ignite 2016
Photo courtesy of CanStock Photos (Seattle Skyline jpldesigns)
