Edward Snowden: Millenial Signal

Edward Snowden is a signal. Amongst all of the noise about the millennial generation’s woes, laziness, and utter lack of worth to our society, we are getting a small taste of what’s to come as this next generation starts to take it’s rightful place in history.

Regardless of how you feel about Snowden’s act, you had better get used to his generation and how they will determine our rising from this current mess or cratering in the dust bin of history.  They are many, and they care deeply.  Or so we had best hope.

Hero or Villain: Wrong Question

Snowden may or may not a “hero” in the modern sense of the word, but he is a living, breathing symbol of a Hero generation as defined by Neil Howe in his book The Fourth Turning.  It is a must-read if you want a lens through which to view the times in which we are living.  It will give you a sense of both comfort and urgency: Comfort because we have been here before and found our way out (see The 1930s), and urgency because we are again living in a crucible from which we may not emerge triumphant.

If you have been paying attention, you know that the millenials see the world differently.  They’ve seen the prior generations run this country aground, and they’re not willing to be a part of it.  They see that the world is broken, and they believe they can fix it.  They’ve never been told no, and therefore believe whatever they think should happen can actually happen.  They see the corruption and they are revolting.

The Boomers React

It’s no accident that the harshest critics of Snowden’s act have been baby boomers.  From David Brooks to Tom Friedman, the establishment generation has wailed and gnashed their teeth, proclaiming Snowden can’t possibly understand the world nearly as well as they do.  It is, after all, a very scary place.  And who wants another 9/11!

The boomers grew up believing that the government could solve society’s woes, and furthermore that it could and should be trusted to make the right decisions.  They had JFK and MLK.  They had reasons to put their faith in institutions, and they can’t turn loose of it.  It’s not that they’re wrong.  It’s that they can’t help but put their trust in the institutions they believe in and have believed in their whole life.

The Future Is Brighter Today

We have a government that is out of control, an economy that’s headed for some very rough waters (again), and threats to our very existence on the near horizon.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is that we’ve been here many times before.  History is indeed circular.  We get to make the choice, again, about whether we will persevere or die as a country.

The even better news is that we have, in the millenials, a sleeping giant.  Edward Snowden’s act of insurrection, of shining the spotlight on a very dark secret, shows me (and should show you) that this group won’t be content to dance while the ice melts.  We’ve seen their kind before, about every 80 years or so.  Their loyalty is to the future, not to the past.

Personally, I’m glad to be around to see what they do next.