Good Times Create Weak Men, And Weak Men Create Hard Times

This quote caught my attention, and I would like to share my thoughts about this with you. If we look at the 20th century, it is easy to see the similarities and how this echoes in our generations.

Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.

G. Michael Hopf

Hard Times and Strong Men

The greatest generation (1901–1924) was born and lived through World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. Truly a generation that had to go through bad times, and for younger people hard to imagine what these people had to go through. These people had to show determination and resilience and imagine having lived through a World War, a Depression, and then facing a World War again.

A common lament of the World War II generation is the absence today of personal responsibility.

Tom Brokaw

Nobody will discuss that these were strong people. They build up the freedom we later could enjoy. They had a strong feeling of purpose, had something to fight for, and had a passion and willingness to do the right thing. The world was facing real and extreme challenges, and the men and women found courage and power; they were willing to sacrifice themselves for a higher goal. Words that describe this generation are; integrity, humility, work ethics, financial ethics, and a great sense of responsibility. (Brokaw, 2001)

The silent generation (or Traditionalists) was born between 1925–1945. After WWI, they experienced the Greatest Depression and WWII. They had to work very hard to survive; their parents were firm on them because they also had to deal with these hard times. They had to manage economically hard times, and some of them were active in WWII.

Sticks and stones may break my bones
But words shall never hurt me.

Character traits of this generation are; traditional, loyal, determined, respectful, and prudent. These two generations shaped the Western world how it has looked for a long time. They laid the foundation for the freedom we have experienced, the long time of peace, and our prosperity. They had a significant impact on feminism, fighting discrimination, and introduced social security. The hard times of two world wars and a big Depression created strong men, which created good times.

The tragedy of life consists in this inevitable conflict, but unless there were these conflicts, there would be no movement; unless there was friction, there would be death.

Paraphrased after Hegel

Good Times and Weak Men

The baby boomer generation (1946–1964) was the first generation to harvest these former generations’ fruits. In general, they could live a good life, or as someone put it, they could live through a fairy tale lifestyle. This is certainly true when compared to the two former generations. They were born in times of hope and progression, and they could live in prosperity. They created an era of consumerism and individualism. Baby boomers became especially well-known for their cultivation of self and their carelessness about material wealth.

Generation X (1965–1979) is sandwiched between the baby boomers and the millennials. Gen X is defined by its love for music and art and pioneered pop culture as we know it today. This generation also groomed an increasing number of single-parent homes and continue to record higher divorce rates than other generations, right into the 21st century. Generation X is also known as the last generation to hold dear to its culture and education and was the last to understand the world before technology became the norm. Generation X, the last generation schooled in the old manner, the last that know how to fold a newspaper, take a joke, and listen to a dirty story without losing their minds. They would be the last chance society has to preserve traditional values that are fast becoming extinct. What describes this generation: work hard, believe in work-life balance, are independent-minded, flexible and direct, self-reliant, thinkers, and embrace feedback.

The millennials, or generation Y (1980–1995), grew up in a time when technology was advancing rapidly; they grew up with the internet. Millennials have grown up in a time of rapid change, giving them a set of priorities and expectations sharply different from previous generations. Words that describe this generation: socially driven, tech-driven, multi-career based, but poor at interpersonal skills and less religious.

The last generation I will discuss is generation Z (1996–2009). Generation Alpha is yet too young to have a big social influence, and the covid crisis hits generation Alpha very hard on a human and social level. What the influence of this will be on generation Alpha will be learned in the future. Generation Z is completely immersed in the world of the internet and social media. They use social media as their primary source of information. The `real´ world seems to be less interesting to them. They start to learn to drive a car later. Even their sexual activity starts later and is much less active than the generations before. They have problems with concentration and have difficulty with deep learning. They are constantly multi-tasking and have short attention spans. It is an `indoor` generation, and the current covid crisis doesn´t really help to get them outside.

Where are We Now?

Since the boomer generation, there has been no real hardship anymore, especially compared to both World Wars and the Depression. The good times have lead to weak generations; we see social justice warriors, snowflakes, and people who are not even sure about their gender anymore (I am not talking about gender dysphoria).

It’s now very common to hear people say, ‘I’m rather offended by that.’ As if that gives them certain rights. It’s actually nothing more… than a whine. ‘I find that offensive.’ It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. ‘I am offended by that.’ Well, so fucking what.

Stephen Fry

There hardly have been better times to live in, but still, for some people, it is like the worst times ever. All big problems are solved, and there are no historical events to be proud of. The Vietnam war was lost, and even the fall of the Berlin wall was not caused by the West but has to be attributed to the economic collapse of the USSR, Gorbatsov, and the people living in East-Berlin. Because there are no real problems to solve anymore, they create their own hell, being it climate change, racism, gender fluidity, or COVID-19. Already an opposing opinion can make these people break down; they suffer micro-aggressions and feign victimhood.

The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.

Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

These people have no sort of fulfillment that can be attributed to things that they actually control. They have no friends, they have no family, they have no property. They have no purpose. To make up for being non-contributing to society, they run to something where literally all you have to do is loudly yell about something in order to feel like you’ve done a good deed. They find no meaning in their own personal accomplishments, and therefore activism and virtue signaling gives these useless people a purpose. Activism and virtue signaling makes them feel more important than they actually are. If you can find a way to make yourself seem intellectually or even morally superior to others, then that’s deeply gratifying to your ego. That’s why activism is so popular.

People are getting too disconnected from themselves. They don´t even know what makes them happy anymore, but still, they yell that happiness is their purpose in life. Mainstream media and social media are bombarding us with a completely distorted picture of reality. Our expectations are entirely disconnected from reality. The only thing we want is `To be happy`, but most people don´t even know what makes them happy…. They are like drug addicts, and every new happiness has to be better than the former. Gratification needs to be instantaneous. Investing in something or waiting for something for delayed gratification is not a concept for them.

Man is something that shall be overcome. Man is a rope, tied between beast and overman — a rope over an abyss. What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end.

Nietszche

It is very easy to get attention. It is too easy. People just met their Tinder date, they go to the toilet, and they start browsing to find the next one…. Social media bring a platform to everybody and allows everybody to get a podium. And because we have generations that believe they can be anything they want, they think that because they post selfies on Instagram, they are photo models, or because they are an influencer, they are really important.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

Ronald Reagan

In WWII, not following directions or keeping curfew could lead to you being shot, and still, there were people disobeying rules, following their own moral compass. Now we have people think you are a hero when you don´t use a straw or drive an electric car. Completely unaware that this is just symbol politics and virtue signaling, and has nothing to do with heroism.

What is Next?

We will see, the pendulum of time always swings; the question is how far and how long. Only in time will we know if we already have the bad times or that worse is yet to come. The good thing is that bad times create strong men. People who will realize that you have to be self-reliant and take responsibility for your own life. The government is not responsible for your happiness, and the government is not always acting in your interest. Strong people will trust their critical thinking and have the emotional maturity to navigate through the hard times.

Interesting links:

Social Justice Warrior: The New Sorcerer’s Apprentice?

COVID-19, It Is Not the Virus That Is Killing Us

If You Play the Victim, You Become the Victim

You think this is a worthy blog and you want to read more?