World War 1, World War 2, the Great Depression, and on the list could go. You have heard of these events in your history classes ever since you were little. If you are anything like me, you have taken these events for granted. As Millennials, we as individuals, have not had to deal with events that reach a similar equivalency to this. World events that we see now are a lot different. But there were people just like us back in the day that were involved with these historic events.
People born within the years of 1900-1925 lived through these events. As time passes, these individuals are slowly passing. Their stories are not being told and the generation is slowly disappearing. This article is not meant to be a historical recollection of what these events were like. The purpose of this article is for more people to have knowledge of this slowly dying generation.
A few weekends ago, I was able to a family member who is 96-years-old. He lived through this unimaginable time. He talked about as a young kid not having the luxuries that he had when he was older due to the depression. He then proceeded to tell me the story of him enlisting into the army as a fresh 17-year-old, not knowing what he might encounter. As he was telling me these various stories, I was able to feel the pain, sadness, and happiness he felt throughout his life. Although our world now is very different than it was back then, there are underlying parallels between the two time periods. I was able to understand and relate to his childhood. I was able to relate with his struggles as a young adult and I imagine my future similar to the way he did.
When you begin to think about it and put your mind into this generation’s perspective, we all will reach this point. The memories we once made will seem distant and almost foreign to us. The events that shaped the Millennial generation, such as the 9-11 attacks and the Boston Marathon Bombing, will just be events taught in textbooks.
As this generation begins to disappear, their stories will as well. One way their legacy can live on is through us. If we stop and take 5 minutes to talk to the “old lady” who lives next door, help the sweet elderly couple at the grocery store or even just take a few minutes to talk with our loved ones, their stories can live on. These are important events that shaped this generation into the hardworking and knowledgeable people they are known to be. So next time you are out and about, I want you to stop and think about them and the young people they once were. Many people I know don’t understand the value of these individuals. Pray for them, talk with them, and don’t take them for granted because when they pass they will no longer be with us physically anymore.
