Our Nation - Mullet Heads Leading the Charge

It was during the CNN’s coverage of the Presidential Inauguration watching 47 year old Barak Obama dance with his 45 year old Wife Michelle at the Youth Ball combined with the admission of one CNN correspondent of their own age that I realized I too have passed the age of youth. For years I was holding fast to the idea I was still thirty. Where did the time go and where did my youth go?

The next morning I woke with the realization that not only am I no longer considered the “youth movement” my generation is in charge. Like oh my god, gag me with a spoon (my best Moon Unit Zappa impression). How did us rebel rousers of the 80’s, with mullet haircuts, earrings and parachute pants come to a place where we are now setting the example for the youth? I’m like freaking out for sure!

I thought about it for a while and perhaps we are the best generation to lead the nation into the future. We were the ones who released Rebel Yells, chanted, “No War, No More!” with Bono before Bono was Bono, and I personally sang along in German (I don't speak German) to Nena’s 99 Luft Balons. We watched our rock idols in Band Aide, Live Aide and Farm Aide. Heck despite our bad taste in hairstyles, fashions and music we wanted to feed the world and were all about the aid, man!

But most significantly, those of us who came age in the 1980’s worried about nuclear holocaust and the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. We had a gun-slinging trigger happy president and his merry band of White House aides sold weapons to countries who today pose us the greatest threat. We watched our government care very little for the future of their youth. We took notice and realized the importance of a future. The nuclear race was on and I’m sure I was not the only one during that time who had worried for their future. I prayed along with Sting that the “Russians loved their children too,” and feared Jonathon Schell’s Fate of the Earth, was indeed my fate.

A friend and I often discussed these issues and we asked ourselves would we ever see the fall of Berlin Wall in our life time. Our answer was no. Not more than a few months later, the East Germans left East Germany in droves, peacefully and without a single gunshot or bloodshed. They toppled Communism in their country and set of a reaction in other Eastern Block nations, Romania and Czechoslovakia. Here is the significance, Berlin was the ground zero and the DMZ between East and West and the center of our Armageddon. To see them succeed was a celebration for the entire world. Our generation watched the world change, as in the Jesus Jones’ song “Right Here, Right Now”, in literally a blink of an eye and suddenly the fear of nuclear annihilation were gone and as Peter Jennings reported, “Anything is possible.” I believe this event set the theme to my generation-Anything is possible!

Over the years, the rebel yells turned to whispers and U2 went onto rattle and hum, but I don’t think we ever lost sight of the issues in the world; we just got busy with our own. We still held true to the notion that anything is possible. We have elected our first black president, who like the East Germans in 1989 has changed the world. Today, we Americans sit at the helm of freedom, hope and democracy. It is our turn to change the world, but it is only the beginning.

I for one, have absolutely no doubt change is on the horizon. We have seen the world change. We know it can be done. So I suggest to refrain from blinking, you just might miss something. In conclusion a special shout out to the class of 85.

“Just once in his life, a man has his time and my time is now. I’m coming alive.”

America is coming alive.