Hello from my desk on the mini-Acre,
I have been commenting, grading, and managing student writing most of the weekend. It is Sunday evening, and the 1st of October. We are into the last quarter of yet another year, soon what will be a third of another decade, and not that far away from another quarter of a century. The days seems to blend into one continuous week and then another, the months come and go and seasons change . . . and then soon, I am considering another decade of life. How did it all happen so quickly? How did an age that I believed to be ancient, far away, and almost beyond interpretation or possibility in terms of reality become who I am?
I do not really remember thinking of my grandmother as old, and yet she was born 110 years ago, almost 111. I do remember thinking my Great-aunt Martha seemed old, but she was born in 1877 outside of Bergen, Norway, and she had immigrated to America. While my Uncle Clare was certainly elderly (born in 1896), perhaps it was because there was an aspect of him that was larger-than-life, he never really seemed old to me. And Lydia did not seem old until the last few times I went to see her and the dementia had caused such drastic changes in the woman, who less than a decade before, would spend 10-12 hours a day working in her yard and managing things around her amazing home. So it begs the question, when is someone old? Certainly, I have been admonished with the cliché, “You are only as old as you feel.” If that is true, I have no specific age, and it can change drastically from day to day. In spite of all the things that have happened to me, I feel quite well, and the fact I never looked my age growing up, appears (pun intended) it might finally begin to pay off. I do love going to work even now, though the rigor of reading and grading papers every day wears me out more than it used to do. I am still excited to see what students do, what they learn, and what they offer in class. There is always something new; being afforded the opportunity to work with such amazing individuals on a daily basis offers me hope, in spite of the title of this post.
I think what makes me feel old most often is believing I no longer understand the world we have created. And yes, we have done this . . . we are responsible for the craziness that permeates our existence on a daily basis. During the past week, I listened to the retiring Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff take a thinly veiled swipe at our former President; I watched as our elected officials came within minutes of shutting down our Federal Government again because of the serious brinksmanship of more than one person. I listened to commentary across the political spectrum, which I make myself listen to, extolling the dangers of everyone running for the Office of the President, and I realize that perhaps this incredible experiment which is American democracy is gasping for breath, suffering from multiple maladies. I find it frightening . . . not so much for myself because I am in the waning years (not that I want to expire soon), but rather because this world continues to struggle with what is best for its inhabitants; from health to politics, from climate to space, there seems to be little we agree upon. It seems that power is valued above all else.
Perhaps it has always been so: history, that story written by the victors, has lulled me (us) into believing that the best thing will win out. Maybe that’s because I live in America, and we have been indoctrinated to believe that our moral compass of preaching fairness, of offering a foundation of openness (is it a facáde?), of establishing a place of opportunity was always based on goodness. I have grown up believing these very things, but so much of what our public has done, our politicians do, or the world’s governments attempt over the last decade seems to support a sense of “pay-no-attention-to-the-man-behind-the-curtain.” The Wizard of Oz, in spite of my wanting to watch it every year, scared the be-jebbers out of me. Those flying monkeys were creepy, and when Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West, crackled out of the crystal ball, I would hide my head. Many perhaps do not realize this amazing yearly movie was a political piece from the outset. When written around 1900 by L. Frank Baum, a political activist of the late 19th century, many believed it to be a political allegory. Considering what was happening with the Gold Standard of the time, of what silver (the ruby slippers were silver in the book) also did economically, and yet even the Emerald City was about money (the green color) we were already a world of haves and have nots. Interestingly, the witch of the West, was interpreted as the American West and what the Louisana Purchase (remember Manifest Destiny?) and beyond offered us. Those frightening monkeys, according to some research, were a depiction of our Native American, first residents (that sounds pretty terrible). I won’t take the time to support or debunk all I have read, but by 1939, when it was released as a movie, it is probably not without some irony that America was coming out of the depression, and Hitler was invading Poland. World War II, yes, the one already fought, turned America into a global power economically, politically, and scientifically.
It was that America I was born into as a baby-boomer. It was that America, the America of the quintessential American dream, that I was raised in. But how would I describe it to my students? It was a time where I believed in the goodness of people and my government. It was a time where I believed in the possibility of doing something beyond the station into which I was born. In spite of being the child of a barely 16 year old mother, on my third family before I was five, and growing up on the poorer side of my town, there were options, chances, and opportunities; I merely had to work hard and believe. Beneath all of that, there was a hope, an optimism, and those around me, both in my family and my neighborhood, in my church and my school, who supported and held to that same hope and optimism. Today, it is something I wish for my nephews and nieces, for my great-nephews and great-nieces, and yes, now, for my great-great-nephews and great-great-nieces . . . how did that happen? What do I believe is possible at this point in time? To be as honest, I am not sure. There are times I feel more angst than hope some days as I read all that is happening, when I listen to the commentary about our daily world.
And yet, I see the faces of my students. They are two generations behind me . . . and what do they offer? They offer me the hope and optimism, which could be taken away if I listen only to the talking-heads where castastrophe seems more reasonable to report than facts, where sensationalism about anything has taken the place of objectivism, allowing us to get caught up in emotion versus using our intellect. Please note, I have not taken or supported either side. What I see in my students is a goodness, accepting people for who they are versus so many other attributes we were taught to focus upon in our generation. I remember my parents telling me I was not allowed to date a girl who was Roman Catholic. Bless their hearts, but about as far as they could imagine a mixed-marriage of any kind would have been an ALC and an LCA Lutheran. I see students who have concerns about our divisive national atmosphere, and they hope for something better. I see young people who are intelligent and questioning, but believe we need to think about how what we are doing to our planet affects them and their children. In spite of what COVID did to their world, I see students who are trying to make sense of it, and even though they have some fear, they believe there is something better. I have been blessed for 30 years to be around this group of people, those individuals who merely want a chance to do what we did . . . live our lives. I think at times my generation was more selfish (possibly unintentionally) than we understood. I think, despite some of my concerns about critical thought or thoughtful analysis, students today are much more prepared than we were to manage this world they are being left.
While I do not begrudge what Taylor Swift has accomplished, I do not need to read about her for a week at the Kansas City Chiefs game, and if she mixed ranch and ketchup. I do not need to know that Britney Spears had some new struggle because she was found with knives in a video. Unfortunately, on the other hand, I do think we need to know when either President Biden or former President Trump seem to show the consequence of their age (and this should be done equally). And while I believe that both Dianne Feinstein and Ruth Bader Ginsburg did incredible things as women, I am willing to say they both stayed in their positions too long. There were consequences, and significant ones, because of the power of their positions. A couple weeks ago, I was speaking to the President of the University. When he realized I was planning to retire this year, he (I guess this is a compliment) inquired as to why, even when I told him my age. I noted because I was tired, and I did not believe I had the stamina I once had. I noted I did not want this to turn into I should have retired a year ago. He appreciated and supported me in that view. It is hard to imagine the other side of things, but I am working to do so. Knowing when my norm needs to change is important for every student in my class. I owe them the best I can give them. I owe them the time they deserve. While my life is just a little minute piece of this amazing, incredible tapestry we call America, we call academe, it has been a profound journey where I have learned much, about the world, about my students, and most importantly about myself. I wish for a normal that will provide each of my students the same hope and optimism I had 50 years ago. So many of my dreams have been realized, and many of them I did not even know I had. I am a dreamer . . . I guess that has always been. I am a believer that something can be better. This collage of some of Top Gun: Maverick says it quite well. I have been where I belonged, even when I did not know it.
Thank you as always for reading.
Dr. Martin
thewritingprofessor55 
Dr. Martin
I decided to take a different approach to how I manage myself and this assignment to react to the blog post. Last time, I read the whole post and other comments before starting my own. This time however, I will be reacting and commenting on the post as I read it.
In class today, I mentioned how I wish there was more hours in the day, days in the week and so on. It seems as though we are on opposite sides of the coin here, as you comment how each day blends into the next. I wish they did.
When is someone old? I love this question, I had taken a few Philosophy courses since entering college and this is a huge philosophical question. I really enjoyed how you transitioned from topic to topic, and the way that you spoke on behalf of your family members and compared that to your own age.
Once your post moved into politics I kind of lost myself, and this is my own doing because I am not as educated as I should be. I regained interest/ the ability to reflect when you asked how will you describe the fact that you are a baby-boomer to your children. I think this is something tl consider, and also something that us ourselves look at to think how will we explain the world we live in to the next generations?
I really enjoyed this post and how you moved from conversation to conversation. It is intruiging to think of some of the topics that you brought up. I think that age , generations and accomplishments within each is something that another generation may have a hard time appreciating. I appreciate that you see in our generation the growth and vision that we have.
Daisy
Dr. Martin,
I have been completing more work than ever before, even when I was going to college at a small private school. This is very surprising to me since I thought my workload would be heavier at a private university rather than a public university. I also believe that time is flying and I do not feel as if it is time for midterms already. I am thankful that you, as a professor, care so much about my work and the time you put into grading our assignments. I also notice that within politics there is not much that everyone will agree on. I normally do not tend to keep up with politics as I find it stressful because of all of the opposing arguments. I loved the Wizard of Oz growing up and had never realized the political connection to the movie. It is hard to believe that there was a time when politics and the people were believed to be fully good. I truly do believe that you had to work harder than most considering your situations while growing up, but the support systems you gained were very helpful. I do think that my generation needs to believe in the goodness of people and be optimistic. I do not see your generation as selfish, if anything that is how I view my own generation. I agree that the importance of politics should be more prominent on social media than Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, etc… I truly am grateful for you knowing when the right time to retire is and the fact that you are doing it for your students, but not yourself is amazing.
Thank you for the great read,
Emma Landis
We all face this question when do we hit the age that is considered old or is it a feeling we have? I also think back to my great great grandparents who were married 75 years and passed away in 2020 at the age of 96. Yes, in one way we could say they were old based on mere age, but I think that being old is a matter of feeling and ability in one’s life on a day-to-day basis. I could say that I feel old just since I am always tired and do not always feel up to par every day. But on the other hand, I by age am not old at all when you look at my great great grandparents who survived to the age of 96. So, the answer to this question is based on opinions in my book. I really enjoyed how you not only wrote on the aspect of age regarding the human population but about politics. I will be honest, I do not keep up with politics like I should, and it is not because I do not take interest in politics but because it makes me feel negatively about my country. There has been good done over the years but a lot of what has been done has had a negative impact on the country we live in.
I think you make a great point on the impact of COVID and some of your thoughts that you have shared in class I agree with, we do not know as a country the full impact that it has had on us. It will be interesting to see how it will impact on us going forward. I have some fears about how my kids’ lives will be impacted growing up post COVID as I have already seen things that have impacted them. My middle child was born in the middle of COVID (2021) and was not allowed to have any visitors while we were in the hospital, as some might disagree, I feel as if this has affected his ability to be a cuddle bug with all family members. He gravitates towards his father and I but still to this day does not find comfort in cuddling or needing a significant amount of affection from other family members. I hope to see that this will not continue as he grows and that the impact of COVID on all kids and adults will be resolved.
As always, I enjoy reading your thoughts.
Miranda Myer
I get what you’re saying. Time flies, right? It’s wild how quickly the days, months, and years blend. Your reflections on age and the changes you’ve seen make sense. I guess everyone wonders when they’re officially “old.” The world today is different from what it used to be, and only sometimes in a good way. All the political drama and the constant bombardment of news can be overwhelming. It’s heartening, though, to see hope in your students. They seem to have this optimism and acceptance that’s refreshing.
I understand your concerns about the obsession with celebrity gossip; sometimes, it feels like there are more important things we should be focusing on. And you’re right; knowing when to step back, like you’re doing, is crucial. Change can be scary, but it’s also a part of life. It sounds like you’ve had a fantastic journey, and your perspective on life and learning is relatable. I wish you all the best in your retirement!
I hear you about not always understanding the world we’ve created today. Things can seem chaotic and confusing, especially with all the politics and issues. It’s tough when you grow up believing in the goodness of people and your government, and now it feels like things are more divided and power-driven. And you’re right; it’s up to the younger generations to make sense of it and hopefully improve things. It’s great to hear your students give you hope with optimism and open-mindedness. They’re the ones who will shape the future, and it sounds like they’re up for the challenge.
I get it. Time just flies. It’s crazy how days, months, and years all blend. Your thoughts about age make sense; everyone wonders when they’re officially “old.” The world has changed a lot, and not always for the better. All the political drama and constant news can be overwhelming. But it’s nice to see hope in your students. They have this refreshing optimism and acceptance.
I get your point about the obsession with celebrity gossip. Sometimes, it feels like there are more important things to focus on, right? And knowing when to step back, like you’re doing, is crucial. Change can be scary, but it’s part of life. It sounds like you’ve had an incredible journey, and your perspective on life and learning is relatable. I wish you all the best in your retirement!
Understanding today’s world is challenging, especially concerning politics and issues. It’s hard when you grow up believing in the goodness of people and your government, and now things feel more divided and power-driven. But you’re right; the younger generations will shape the future. Seeing your students giving you hope with their optimism and open-mindedness is fantastic. They’re the ones who will make a difference, and it sounds like they’re up for the challenge.
The story of your life’s journey captures the significant changes and difficulties that have influenced your generation and generations that have come after. Many people might relate to your comment that feeling out of step with the world we formerly knew sometimes feels unsettling. Your continued engagement with us as your students, finding inspiration in our new perspectives and our drive for a better future, is a monument to your constant interest and dedication. The future of a more just and sustainable planet is in the hands of today’s young.
It is great how dedicated you are to us as students and how determined you are to give us the best education possible. Your readiness to take stock of your life’s experiences and change with the times teaches you something worthwhile within itself. As you near retirement, your legacy of inspiration and hope will continue to impact future generations. We appreciate you sharing your ideas and experiences with us because they remind us to accept change and strive to be better each day.
There were many great points in this blog post. The concept of age is very interesting to me. How do you know when you’re old? Is it based on a number, or your accomplishments, or your appearance? Age can be different for everyone. Honestly, at the ripe age of 18, I already feel as though i’m 60. I like to go to bed fairly early when I can. I’d rather lie down and take a nap than go out all the time. I work so much I feel like a full grown woman. Age can also feel different when you were forced to grow up early as a child. Having responsibilities from a young age can make you feel older than you truly are. This is sort of how I feel, too mature for my age. At the same time, can you really be mature at 18? Sometimes I feel as though I am still a child. I agree with you, It really depends on the day.
I also really enjoyed reading about how different our generations are. I don’t think we appreciate enough of what we have nowadays. Our generation is very accepting and (for the most part) actively trying to make the world a better place. However I do agree that some things we focus on are less than important. For example your point about Taylor Swift. Every time I open any form of social media I swear she is one of the first things I see. Her and her new relationship has basically taken over the internet, it’s all anyone wants to talk about. Our generation would rather worry about a pop stars never-ending love life than about current political situations or what is going on in other countries. In a way we are selfish, only focusing on what is interesting at the time rather than our future and what the world is really coming to be. As a whole we have so much to work on. It is nice to see someone else’s perspective of the world and how it has changed over the years.
Kierra
This blog always gives insight to a dynamic world, and the always-developing people. This post in particular, discusses that changing world and the attitude the author has about it. Throughout the passage, the author is skillful at relating his own life and experiences to the broader audience and their problems. Effortless transition between points, as well as strong statements tend to make the reader think, and allow this post to be truly exceptional.
I agree, many of the multifaceted factors that have direct and indirect effects on our country and the well-being of future generations often worry me too. The encroaching effects of climate change, natural disasters, conflict between nations, and of course political and social division all prove to be grave threats to the autonomy of people. Although many would like to turn a blind eye, or completely ignore these problems they are reality, and they do affect us.
Despite the grim outlooks of many of the conflicts discussed before, individual action matters, and so does awareness. Becoming aware, or making a single positive change towards a goal may seem insignificant, but can in fact be consequential. The idea of remaining hopeful, and positive also has become more and more pertinent in our ever-changing world. And although, as the author notes, some days we may feel more angst than hope in our world, it is critical to retain your sense of optimism. The author’s struggles with his own sometimes bleak outlook towards the world, and the idea of days blending together, were particularly engaging.
Although complications and problems in society are certain and constant, and perhaps can be disregarded, the ever-aging human body remains an individual conflict we all face in life. Coming to terms with your own age, the complications drawn from it, and being witness to your friends and families aging is something everyone, including the author has to deal with. It is our own individual perspective on the situation and life in general that is most crucial to dealing with it. The author’s insights into his own experiences, particularly when he mentions his friend dealing with the struggles of dementia, are captivating and useful for the rhetoric used to discuss age in this post.
The effects of covid on our lives are of course critical to our development as people. However, the development of future generations is in conflict as well. The reverberations of covid, will be felt throughout future generations, and can be related to the broader range of problems current generations face and the consequences of those problems. Facing these problems now and having a sense of optimism and hope prove to be the most ideal solutions moving forward.
I find myself, recently, feeling the same. At the beginning of the week, I try and mentally plan the week. I want to get so much done because I have so much work from each class, but if I close my eyes it will already be Thursday. I miss the days when I thought the week would drag on and on because then I could get stuff done. I still cannot believe that the midterms are already here, and I’m going to have to start worrying about finals (great, one more thing to add to the list).
I have always been the oldest person in my friend group, so I have had my fair share of old-guy jokes. Just recently, a friend in my chemistry class came up to me, unprovoked, and flat-out asked how my “old bones” were feeling. I should add that I am only 2 years older than the rest of them, yet they seem to think I am 40 years old. I have started to feel the effects of aging. I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and however much I wanted and never gain weight; I was a step above a twig. My grandpa would always call my stomach a bottomless void, but now I get full after having one plate.
I find it a bit overwhelming when I think about how much life I still have left to live, especially when I think about life after school. School and college have given my life so much structure that I worry if I’ll be able to structure my time when it is just me on my own.
Isaiah Franciscus
Dr. Martin,
Thank you for a great read. I do agree time does fly by very fast without knowing it. I have experienced it myself. As I grow in life, there are a lot of changes and we have to adapt. From your reading i was entertained by your life and your understanding of the world. Our world today must be a lot different from then. There are many struggles we are facing now that we didn’t expect to face at all. I can see from the reading you have had a great expedition, which gave you a better understanding of the world. As a professor, thank you so much for the constant feedback with assignments and answering emails. The feedback helps me a lot on knowing what I can do to improve my writing. You have great dedication to teaching, that us students highly appreciate.
Thank you for all you do and for this great read,
Hunter Pankake
Dr. Martin,
I can not express how mind blowing it is to see how each individual in life goes through their hard ships in order to get to where we are today. I am only 20 years old and still have the rest of my life to figure out, I can confidently say that my generation is the future. There are so many new challenges that we ourselves have to think about rather than back then, but it is all part of our journey. We all had hard ships, yours were more challenging than others, and who knows what else will turn the corner within my own life. I really did enjoy reading through your thoughts and opinions regarding your own generation as well as ours.
Thanks,
Cody VanBenthuysen
Dr. Martin,
I am sure most people have heard a similar phrase based on the quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it” (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986). No matter how many times I have heard it, I do not fully appreciate or understand the quote until I take a step back, analyze where I am in life, and look back at the experiences I have had. Although there is a change in how you feel physically as you age, I do agree the way one truly feels can be affected by various other factors, such as mental attitude, situational factors, and beliefs.
I will have to rewatch The Wizard of Oz to see if there are any more political connections, as I was completely unaware of the implications made by L. Frank Baum. The media we consume is compelling and does have the potential to influence our opinions or perspectives on specific topics, whether subtly, like a simple reference, or blatantly like explicit advertisements. This makes it difficult for future generations to tunnel in on the issues that matter.
Despite having access to so much information through the internet, what is usually trending is what celebrity broke up with another, such as what you mentioned with Taylor Swift. Maybe it is by choice and a form of escapism to ignore the reality of our futures and see what celebrities are doing, or perhaps these fleeting topics are pushed to our screens instead of events that have a significant impact on our world. Regardless, my generation will have to be able to ignore trivial matters and learn to give our attention to problems that will affect us in the future and even the lives further in history we may not see.
I commend you for your dedication to your students and your hope that they will have an environment and opportunity to have optimism and think positively about the future. I enjoyed reading this post and could flow between each topic seamlessly due to their connection.
Works Cited:
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Directed by John Hughes, Paramount Pictures, 1986.
Dr. Martin,
One concept that scares me in life is aging. I never thought that I would be the type of person to be afraid of old age but here I am. I always have the thought of what if I actually look old when i get old? I want to be one of those people that look youthful when I get older in age. Instead of fearing old age, I am trying to live life in the moment. I think one thing that holds people back from living their life is money. I do believe to save your money to a point but also let yourself have once in a lifetime experience. I always ask people, where does your money go when you die? Yes, if you have children or a spouse they may inherit it but did you get to enjoy your hard earned money as well? I think what made me think about this recently is my great uncle Jim, he passed recently and he would never let his wife or anyone touch his money. My aunt Jean had to spend her own money, but now that he is gone she inherited it anyways but sadly her and my uncle Jim really never went anywhere together.
I feel as the older generation has ingrained in us to save as much as we can, which is good feature to have but there needs to be balance. Then older generation always has an impact on the generations to come, my grandparents were very religious when my mom was growing up. Well, my mom got pregnant at 16 and my grandparents almost disowned her for sex before marriage. But now my parents are still together 25 years later. My mom instead of taking on the same attitude as my grandparents, is very open to talking to my siblings and I about anything. I feel like sexual relations was something not talked about in the past, it was taboo.
I also agree on that the government is always hiding behind the curtain. I always loved the Wizard of Oz and learning about the premises behind the movie. Not only is it interesting to learn about the political and historical background but what happened behind the scenes of the movie. Judy garland who played Dorothy was harassed terribly, they were covered in asbestos (snow), and the munchkins were inappropriate on set. It is sad to hear about what was really going on behind a great movie.
Politics and other worldly news should be prominent in social media than celebrities. I am getting tired of seeing Taylor swift on the internet just because she is dating Travis Kelce. I feel like I barley see news about the actual world, I feel a little uneducated on what is going today honestly.
—Alexis Schleef
Good evening Dr. Martin,
I have haven’t accepted yet that life goes so quick for no reason. As a child, I thought I was going to be a kid forever, but here I am, a college student in Bloomsburg (now Commonwealth) University. I quoted in 5th grade, “2022 is a long way, and I don’t think it’ll come anytime soon.” It is quite depressing that we are at this age, but I am finally mentally healthier and having fun with people, my hobbies, and even working.
I appreciate that you as a professor, are accepting to changing norms. Not all norms are acceptable, but some are to be how they are. Dr. Martin, as I read through many of your blog posts, you are such an open minded and genuine individual because I have really never got a chance to even get to know a professor. I know we have not personally talked, but I feel as we are through your blog posts. I appreciate you because some professors are not as open, and sometimes I feel as they don’t not try to get know or acknowledge their students the slightest bit. I do realize you have thousands of students in your class, but you try your hardest. Thank you!