Beyond "Big Babies" by Steve Watters on 10/30/2006 at 3:00 PM

We've talked a lot about extended adolescence at Boundless, but it's always interesting to get perspective on this trend from outside of our circle of friends -- and even from outside of America. Dr. Al Mohler found a great article from the U.K. where it seems the problem may be more acute and resulting in something of a pendulum swing.

The writer, Michael Bywater, makes the case that our consumer-oriented culture and contemporary philosophies make our generation much more self-conscious than those before. "My grandfather was born in 1888 and he didn't have a lifestyle. He didn't need one: he had a life."

While obviously coming from a very different perspective, Bywater makes some great points. Reading his comments about his grandfather gave me fresh perspective for just how babying our culture can be and just how superficial our "lifestyle" pursuits are. It reminds me that age alone will not be sufficient for me to earn from my grandchildren the same kind of respect my grandfathers earned from me. The things that made them great in my eyes -- their strength of character, hard-working responsibility and seriousness of purpose -- were all valued in their generation. In a culture that worships perpetual youth, those values seem awfully counter-cultural.

Beyond "Big Babies" by Steve Watters on 10/30/2006 at 3:00 PM

We've talked a lot about extended adolescence at Boundless, but it's always interesting to get perspective on this trend from outside of our circle of friends -- and even from outside of America. Dr. Al Mohler found a great article from the U.K. where it seems the problem may be more acute and resulting in something of a pendulum swing.

The writer, Michael Bywater, makes the case that our consumer-oriented culture and contemporary philosophies make our generation much more self-conscious than those before. "My grandfather was born in 1888 and he didn't have a lifestyle. He didn't need one: he had a life."

While obviously coming from a very different perspective, Bywater makes some great points. Reading his comments about his grandfather gave me fresh perspective for just how babying our culture can be and just how superficial our "lifestyle" pursuits are. It reminds me that age alone will not be sufficient for me to earn from my grandchildren the same kind of respect my grandfathers earned from me. The things that made them great in my eyes -- their strength of character, hard-working responsibility and seriousness of purpose -- were all valued in their generation. In a culture that worships perpetual youth, those values seem awfully counter-cultural.