When we welcomed Carter into the world two days after Christmas, I wondered what kind of life my first grandson would inherit from me and my generation. Now, 2 ½ months later, I’m even more uncertain.
I mean, it seems with each passing day up is down, north is south, black is white, good is bad … you get the picture.
At the same time, I see him with a universe of opportunities that my generation, even his parents’ generation, never could have imagined.
Artificial intelligence is the newest world-altering invention and, from what we’re told, we haven’t even begun to see, or understand, the possibilities – or maybe the problems – this new technology will bring.
Remember when electric windows and air conditioning were rare luxuries in cars? Remember when a 32-inch TV set was considered “big”? Remember when all phones were permanently attached to a wall or a phone booth? Heck, remember phone booths? Remember when a computer was some weird sci-fi gadget only seen in the movies?
Yeah, Carter’s world is bigger, better and more convenient and connected than Grandpa’s in too many ways to count.
But Carter’s world also has planet-altering climate change. And bitter political polarization. And global pandemics. And school shootings and other incidents of mass violence I never could have imagined as a child. And, oddly, there’s a loneliness epidemic in the U.S. that afflicts one in three people.
Yes, Carter’s world is different from Grandpa’s.
But some things never change.
Like Grandpa, Carter has two loving, educated parents – plus four adoring grandparents. He lives in a wonderful city, Jacksonville, that is one of the boomtowns of our time with nothing but promise lying ahead. He will be afforded the best education our family can provide and will have opportunities to succeed, whether in sports or the arts or the classroom, that we can’t yet comprehend.
Carter’s world will be filled with friends and family who will bring unending joy and security to him. He will grow up in a community where people will care for and look after him and share in his wins and losses. Like the computer of our time, he will get to experience things that seem so sci-fi today – space travel, flying cars, who knows, maybe even time travel.
But most important, he will be loved and nurtured. He will be surrounded by people who will teach him right from wrong, compassion and something increasingly missing in our society, good manners. Getting an education will be expected. Being a productive and participatory citizen will be instilled as a duty, not a burden.
Carter’s world will undoubtedly be different beyond my imagination. How wildly different my world is from my grandpa’s. Yet, there are common threads that will tie our generations together, things like common decency and self-reliance, like comity and charity toward others, like treating our fellow man with dignity and kindness.
As someone who is closer to the end of life than the beginning, I can’t imagine what Carter’s world will be like in 10, 20, 50 years. I do know it will be dramatically different than mine –hopefully, for the better.
It’s now Carter’s world, and I couldn’t be more proud and hopeful.
