The headline for this article was a question that was asked of us by family and friends, as we grew up in the 1940s and 1950s in Philadelphia. The more astute of us at the time answered that question with an appropriate list of occupations, depending on whether we were male or female: doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, and engineers.

A Most Profoundly Important Question

Many of my peers at the time, and I as well, were not able to answer that most profoundly important question because most of us did not know what we wanted to do with our lives. In my later years, I have a few friends, in their 60s and 70s, who tell me they still do not know what they want to be when they grow up. One of my great and good friends who died way too soon, often said to me before he died that he did not know the answer to that question.

As I sit and quietly observe the passing scene around me in today’s America, I now have a different answer to that question that was posed to us back in our childhood and teen years. In those early years, most of us focused on what jobs we would have and what industries we would work in.

The Best Answer In Today’s America

The best answer to that question is really quite different in my opinion. I believe that all of us should want to be responsible adults (when we grow up) and thinking citizens engaged in American society. That perspective is far more critical to America than the work we will do and how we will make our money. Let us hope we can pass on that perspective to those that follow.

America Needs Responsible Adults As Its Citizens

America needs thinking men and women, responsible adults, at all levels of social organization and governance. When we do not see that as a critical role, then we lose a significant connection with the generations who went before us and the generations that come after us. Simply put, there is great value in becoming an elder in our communities and learning to share our wisdom, such as it is, with the younger generations. When we fail to do that, we do so at our peril. The great thread of societal and cultural wisdom is easily broken.

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If you have enjoyed reading this short post, please share it with family and friends. Please share with me any comments you might have.  I look forward to reading them.

Cordially,

Andrew J Guinosso