A speedy recovery from your surgery, Thom ! And thanks for repeating this piece on the "The Fourth Turning." I got & read it shortly after you mentioned it. Only after the third reading did I realize that Strauss & Howe failed to state the really significant point of the 6 different "Fourth Turnings" that they took account of in their …
A speedy recovery from your surgery, Thom ! And thanks for repeating this piece on the "The Fourth Turning." I got & read it shortly after you mentioned it. Only after the third reading did I realize that Strauss & Howe failed to state the really significant point of the 6 different "Fourth Turnings" that they took account of in their book: That each time the victor was the "egalitarian"--and not the authoritarian--side of the conflict...(even though they stressed that the outcome of each Fourth Turning is by no means guaranteed). As I wrote in a "Comment" some months ago, I have concluded that the universe is playing 4-5 dimensional chess with us humans while we are thoroughly convinced we're only playing checkers. I like what the Greeks said some 3,000 years ago: If you want to understand the (human) events of the world, first understand human nature. I have yet to unravel what all that means, but I am intrigued that the "Fourth Turning" always occurs when the "Prophet" generation--that's us, Thom, the "Boomers" this time around the circle / cycle--is in "Old Age" yet still very much running the show. This generation brings out the worst (Trump & Putin) as well as the best (Biden & Zelensky) in a world-wide conflict--or at least one that has worldwide ramifications (like our Revolutionary War did in establishing the first democracy on the planet in some 3,000 years--as you point out). The little bit I get so far is that the "egalitarian / democratic" side has won each of the past 6 times over the authoritarian / dictatorial side because our "egalitarian" side is like a sleeping giant that prefers to remain quiet & peacefully sleeping--like a hibernating grizzly?--but if disturbed & awakened in the midst of its peaceful slumber, it becomes agitated and rises to the occasion of subduing the offending intruders. I, too, am impressed how accurately Strauss & Howe predicted 25 year ago this next 4th Turning--likely, they said, to peak in 2025. How uncanny, eh? January 20, 2025 will be the inauguration of the next US President ! Will that person be a stalwart defender of democracy.....or the first full-fledged US authoritarian-dictator? And will the next "Hero" generation save us like the GI Joe's did during the last 4th Turning in World War II ? We'd best all join the fight for democracy....if we want that side to win again....yeh?
A speedy recovery from your surgery, Thom ! And thanks for repeating this piece on the "The Fourth Turning." I got & read it shortly after you mentioned it. Only after the third reading did I realize that Strauss & Howe failed to state the really significant point of the 6 different "Fourth Turnings" that they took account of in their book: That each time the victor was the "egalitarian"--and not the authoritarian--side of the conflict...(even though they stressed that the outcome of each Fourth Turning is by no means guaranteed). As I wrote in a "Comment" some months ago, I have concluded that the universe is playing 4-5 dimensional chess with us humans while we are thoroughly convinced we're only playing checkers. I like what the Greeks said some 3,000 years ago: If you want to understand the (human) events of the world, first understand human nature. I have yet to unravel what all that means, but I am intrigued that the "Fourth Turning" always occurs when the "Prophet" generation--that's us, Thom, the "Boomers" this time around the circle / cycle--is in "Old Age" yet still very much running the show. This generation brings out the worst (Trump & Putin) as well as the best (Biden & Zelensky) in a world-wide conflict--or at least one that has worldwide ramifications (like our Revolutionary War did in establishing the first democracy on the planet in some 3,000 years--as you point out). The little bit I get so far is that the "egalitarian / democratic" side has won each of the past 6 times over the authoritarian / dictatorial side because our "egalitarian" side is like a sleeping giant that prefers to remain quiet & peacefully sleeping--like a hibernating grizzly?--but if disturbed & awakened in the midst of its peaceful slumber, it becomes agitated and rises to the occasion of subduing the offending intruders. I, too, am impressed how accurately Strauss & Howe predicted 25 year ago this next 4th Turning--likely, they said, to peak in 2025. How uncanny, eh? January 20, 2025 will be the inauguration of the next US President ! Will that person be a stalwart defender of democracy.....or the first full-fledged US authoritarian-dictator? And will the next "Hero" generation save us like the GI Joe's did during the last 4th Turning in World War II ? We'd best all join the fight for democracy....if we want that side to win again....yeh?