By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
Kids these days.
We all heard those words directed at us and, more
broadly, our generation. Barring some unfortunate circumstance, we will live
long enough to speak them - with the same condescending, what will come of this
world tone in which they were once received - to the next generation of
youngsters who are threatening the very fabric of American life.
In that moment, Armageddon will be at our doorstep…buoyed
by this (latest) mass of inconsiderate, lazy, self-absorbed, entitled
adolescents who are allergic to hard work and wouldn’t dare walk to school
through a snowstorm. So much for
humanity. Our fabulous advancement as a
species has finally produced a generation whose lack of determination will
cause our undoing. Fossils we shall be
for the next advanced species on Earth to discover.
Yet somehow, by some miracle of the cosmos, we find a
way. The next generation matures just in
time to perpetuate the great arc of human history. Or maybe the adult world’s advertised peril
has always been rooted in folly, not fact, a manifestation of discomfort with
an ever-evolving, increasingly unfamiliar world.
Regardless, the rising generation has always received exponentially
more criticism than is deserved.
Millennials, the “everybody gets a trophy” generation, have been a popular
target for years. Generation Z is now
feeling the sweat.
The reality: Society needs its youth. Want to feel young? Sleep plenty.
Eat right. Exercise. Forgo the cigarettes and go light on the
booze. Read this column on the
regular. And surround yourself with
young people. They are spectacular –
bright, ambitious, optimistic, caring and full of energy. Other than good music, there may be no better
tonic for the life blues than the company of kids.
Sports have always been a dependable supply line of
youthful fountains of hope and possibility.
The Olympics have introduced us to a beaming Mary Lou Retton, Kerri
Strug, Gabby Douglass, Shaun White and that group of college kids on the 1980
U.S. Hockey Team that beat the Soviets and won an improbable gold medal. In the span of 15 years, Ken Griffey Jr.,
Serena and Venus Williams and LeBron James – all teenagers – took over MLB,
tennis and the NBA, respectively. Each
handled the spotlight with a grace and maturity beyond their years. And as for that all-important position of
quarterback, two more teenagers – Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence - have won
the last two national championships and a 23-year-old Patrick Mahomes is the
reigning NFL MVP.
In the tennis world, youth is being served again.
Coco Gaugh, a 15-year-old loaded with infectious
charisma, burst upon the scene earlier this summer at Wimbledon. Under the bright lights of the U.S. Open,
Gaugh won her first two matches in thrilling, three-set fashion before falling
to defending champion Naomi Osaka, who is all of 21, in front of a packed crowd
at Arthur Ashe Stadium last Saturday night.
After the match, Osaka showed extraordinary class in
consoling an emotional Gaugh, insisting that they do a joint, post-match
interview and then, while battling tears of her own, applauding Gaugh’s
accomplishment and her family’s commitment to her development. It was sportsmanship of the highest order.
What I will also remember from Gaugh’s U.S. Open run
is a comment she made after her Round 2 victory. When asked about playing in the U.S. Open in
front of such a supportive crowd, Gaugh offered this humble, genuine reply, “I
am super honored to be American and playing in New York City.”
Are we paying attention? Osaka challenged us not to miss an
opportunity to comfort a valiant competitor or just another human being in
need. Gaugh reminded us of the honor it
is to be an American citizen.
Juxtaposing the two, it is impossible to miss the connection with
on-going atrocities at our nation’s southern border. But more broadly, these were profound moments
for a divisive time - and they were delivered by a 21 and 15-year-old,
respectively. So much for wisdom being a
function of age. If these two young
ladies are at all representative of generation next, we’re going to be just
fine…maybe far better than we currently are.
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