Time To Grow Up — By John Reed

Time To Grow Up
Due to recent school closures, I find myself awash in grandchildren this week. It’s always good to have them over, but it’s also something of a challenge. These four kids are like many others of their generation: unused to hearing the word “no.” So when they encounter the old folks’ version of structure, it can be a struggle.
I’m convinced that growth and maturity only comes when facing challenges. Not necessarily deprivation and spankings, but when children get everything they demand right when they demand it, there’s no reason for them to learn to adapt and grow.
The same can be said for American society. Compared to the Great Depression and World War Two, we’ve lived in relative peace and prosperity for the last 75 years. That‘s given rise to multiple generations of people with ever-increasing expectations. In short, we have become spoiled children who have never hear the word “no.”
And now we’re facing an unprecedented challenge with the Corona virus. Business, schools, churches, the military…every section of society is affected. There’s more than a little bit of overreaction, but it’s the same as a child’s temper tantrum: overly dramatic pushback against some new rule.
I’m convinced this disease will run its course like so many before. Various versions of the flu, SARS, MERS, and more have come and gone, and this will too. The question then is: will we have grown any?
Societies evolve much like species. When faced with challenges, they adapt or decline. Certainly schools will see more use of distance learning, businesses will see more home delivery, the health industry will be pushed into developing faster testing and diagnostic systems.
And maybe the current generation that has been expecting everything provided for them for free will understand that everything has a price.