HAUNGS: The turning point

Has our generation reached its peak? Are we preparing for our turning point? Every era has that point in time when society collectively hits the refresh button. It is where we see the change in political temperature and an overturning of society to the next generation. Throughout history, there have been plenty of definitive points where you can easily say, “That right there is where the times turned.” The French Revolution, World War II, and ‘60s counterculture era have all seen great change in their post-eras, change that came to define entire generations. We come to wonder, where is our turning point? Has it already happened or is it looming above us?

The turning points often reveal within themselves the change that is about to occur. Political change came in the aftermath of the political French Revolution, simple as that. But, in the example of the ‘60s, there are also turning points where the resulting next generation is not quite as clear. Music then, and often was from the 20th century on, the driving force of social change, and the effects of Vietnam were still foggy. What would happen to the soldiers on their return? What would happen of the protestors once the war finally ended? What would happen of the hippie movement with the entrance of Dick Nixon into office? These questions went unanswered for so long, and then America birthed the surprises of disco and ‘80s techno. Who could’ve drawn Studio 54 out of Vietnam and the counterculture?

This is the sort of era we live in today. Our turning point and the results of it are obscure as of now (unless, for all we know, our turning point is occurring right now, or has already happened and we are merely living through the beginnings of transition). Many generational changes happen much more subtly than the turning points of war and revolution. Our generation was defined by the aftermath of our turning point, 9/11, but we are rapidly approaching the hand-over to a generation even younger than ours, and we can’t give them society as is. There is too much of a trouble that needs to cease before the next generation can step in. A true turning point must redirect where we stand today.

As we subtly move that collective finger toward our own refresh button, I wonder exactly how our society will change. In some cases, it is easy to assume sexual openness, a heavier move away from organized religion, a return, I truly believe, to a collective conscious and care, and hopefully a move to the civil liberties once promised to America but never carried out. But, these are some of the changes that we see gathering speed already. What needs to occur, in my opinion, is a true political refresh for total social freedom to reach its summit; A flushing of Congress, and a whole new group of legislators. This country needs to see a progression that can only be seen with fresh eyes. In times like these, when our government refuses to use our Constitution and declarative ideals as it is supposed to, the turning point must become forced and peaceably drastic.