Edgework

A few weeks ago I turned 65. That in itself is not significant news. People turn 65 every day of every year. What makes my “coming of age” noteworthy is the fact that I represent the cutting edge of that group of persons known as the “baby boomers.”

You see, I was born on December 12, 1946, the year after WWII, when returning soldiers began making up for lost time by fathering an unprecedented number of children. Although my father was not a soldier, he just happened to be right in there with the rest of them.

Officially the war ended on August 14, 1945. Apparently it took longer to repatriate Canadian soldiers than their American counterparts, so Canadians generally assume that the baby boom began in 1947.

Okay, so I was a few weeks early. But you might say I got the ball rolling and the rest followed. I was perched on the thin edge of the wedge that brought an exceptionally large number of babies into Canada. We are the baby boomers! And now, 65 years later, we are beginning to cross that magic line to begin our “golden years.”

Much has been written about these boomers looming on the horizon. Some of it has an apocalyptic ring to it. “How will we ever be able to take care of so many old people?” it is asked. Last week someone estimated that it would cost the country a hundred billion dollars to take care of these aging boomers before they have finished their move off stage.

Of course, some boomers have done well for themselves and will be paying much of their own way. Nevertheless, there is a lot of concern that we will not have enough seniors’ housing in the next few decades and that the medical system will not be able to keep up caring for us boomers. Yet boomers are generally an optimistic lot who look forward to a long and rewarding retirement. In fact they are fueling a multi-billion dollar anti-aging industry in western countries. I feel the entire lot of them breathing down my neck as I step across the line.

However, the arrival of the boomers is accompanied by a dark cloud on the horizon. The world the boomers have built is facing a crisis of monumental proportions. Global poverty, widespread hunger, water shortages, fossil fuel depletion, environmental degradation, climate change, unlimited wars, depletion of forests and the extinction of plant and animal species at an alarming rate…only to name a few concerns.

I suspect that in the years to come boomers will respond to this crisis in one of two ways.

The largest portion of boomers will likely respond with what I call a sense of “entitlement.” “We built this country and now it is our right to enjoy our sunset years as best we can. We deserve it. Don’t try to stop us!”

Entitlement boomers will deliberately minimize global concerns and carry on as though nothing unusual is happening around them. They will stay on track with their retirement plans. Having mostly stayed close to home during their working years, they will now begin exploring the world in ever larger numbers. And the number of Canadian “snow birds” annually fleeing southward will likely  rise sharply.

Those who can afford it will begin building their dream homes. In many cases they will be larger and more elaborate than those in which they raised their families. They will purchase and use more toys than ever before. They will play around with ornamental gardening to enhance their villas but won’t even consider growing some of their own food. Why should they? The local super market supplies them with cheap food from around the world.

I have already met entitlement “boomers in waiting” and I can assure you there are many of them.

A smaller portion of boomers will cross the magic retirement line with a sense of “responsibility” on their shoulders. They will accept the fact that the world they helped to build is not panning out as they had hoped. They will ask themselves whether it is possible that they are at least partially responsible for the present, tragic condition of the world. Whether they answer “yes” or “no”, they will acknowledge that as a global community we face significant challenges ahead. And that will cause them to accept responsibility to do what they can to allow their children and grandchildren to inherit a habitable world down the road.

Of course some of these boomers will be struggling with health issues that often accompany aging while others will be encountering financial difficulties. But for the most part these boomers, now freed from having to work full-time to make a living, will have considerable energy and resources available to help make a difference in the world.

Those boomers who opt for this “responsible” orientation during retirement will discover a sense of fulfillment, joy and community that “entitlement” boomers would have difficulty even dreaming about.

The opportunities to make a difference are endless. Let me list a few.

• Become informed about global and local issues.
• Volunteer for local charities and international NGOs.
• Consider passing on some survival skills you know like composting and growing your own food.
• Join a local organization that focuses on promoting sustainable and resilient lifestyles.
• Model how it is possible to survive by purchasing products you need locally.
• Work at reducing your energy requirements and using alternative, renewable sources of energy.
• Become an advocate for the disadvantaged and against the monopoly of multi-national corporations.
• Follow that up by putting your money where your mouth is.

As I see it, there are two basic ways for boomers to step across the line. I suspect that most of us will keep one foot on the “entitlement” side of the ledger. But there will be incredible rewards for every step taken to the “responsible” side. And everyone will be a winner – boomers and those coming behind them.