Brindle Media

Posts Tagged ‘women’

Some items in the news which I think are relevant to our 21st Century
Boomer Experience.

Tablets are the hot new device in the social media world. Although I didn’t really want one, I received a Kindle as a Christmas present this year and, truth be told, the benefits of using it aren’t yet apparent to me. Since US News & World Report has ceased producing hard copies of the magazine, I do load the digital version of my subscription onto the Kindle but then I forget to read it. I’ve also loaded several ebooks which have been sitting unread in my PC files for ages. I haven’t read those either.

Nevertheless, like smartphones, tablets will become a more ubiquitous part of the Boomer lifestyle in coming years so it’s a good idea to stay abreast of new developments and improvements in the technology. Apple’s iPad 2 becomes available on March 11th. Here’s a review from Engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/02/ipad-2-first-hands-on/

The fervor and passion of today’s teens and young adults remind me of Boomers in the late 60s and early 70s. For instance, this story about using social media to keep women safe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/business/01road.html?_r=1

Remember the slogan, “Ford Has A Better Way” ? Bill Ford Jr. spoke yesterday at the TED Conference about his vision for your driving experience in the future:
http://mashable.com/2011/03/02/bill-ford-jr-ted-talk/

If you run across a story which you believe might be interesting to fellow Baby Boomers, feel free to email it to me at BrindleMedia@gmail.com.

At a recent Catholic wedding I attended, the priest spoke to the bride and groom about the difference between a contract and a covenant. He talked about how the union they were undertaking was not a contractual arrangement like a business deal but a sacred promise to each other and, by extension, to God.

This was the first time I can recall hearing this issue addressed during a wedding ceremony. It seemed apt and it got me thinking.

My generation, the Baby Boomers, grew up in the aftermath of World War II. It was the age of nuclear proliferation, a time of major scientific discoveries which helped provide answers to many of our questions about the universe and which (like the birth control pill) provided us with more control over our destinies. We witnessed the coming of age of the feminist movement and experienced the “Summer of Love” along with the era of disillusion and anti-heroism following the Vietnam War which led to the Gordon Gecko “Greed Is Good” 80s.

We went from a generation of idealists to a generation of cynics to a generation of pragmatists. No wonder we started thinking of marriage more like a business agreement and a matter of mutual convenience. Of course, the inevitable result was the burgeoning divorce rate among Boomers which must have created psychological concerns about commitments for our children.

When Googled the question “What is the difference between a contract and a covenant?”, one of the results was this: “The difference is in the attitude of contract versus the attitude of covenant. In contract both parties are hoping to limit liability or maximize profit or otherwise make things better for the self. The contract is then a way of ensuring that things go just as planned and, if necessary, to force the other party to promised action….A covenant relationship is one in which certain terms are set, yes, but the parties make the cause of the other their own cause. In other words, when I make a covenant, the goals and desires of the person with whom I am covenanting become my own.” Sounds about right.

So, have the children of Baby Boomers learned a valuable lesson about marriage and long-term relationships from our mistakes? Or is this just wishful thinking?

Your thoughts?