Dustin Modeling His New Clothes

Dustin, my grandson, was nine last Monday, March 9, 2009. Now they call being nine on the ninth day of the month your ‘golden’ birthday. Since I was 13 on Jan. 13th, which just happened to be a Friday, that was my ‘golden’ birthday. But I did not know it. I have not done the math but I wonder if everyone has a golden birthday before they are 32? Golden birthdays must have been conceived by a thirty-some person.

I like to think that with age comes wisdom. However, in some ways, more so for some of us, with age comes a return to the foolishness of childhood. One of my grandchildren’s and my favorite TV shows is SpongeBob SquarePants, one of the most ridiculous cartoons around. Now thirty-some persons, like my grandchildren’s parents, do not understand our connection with the innocent silliness of SpongeBob.

I think wisdom does come with age. I can tell that whenever I have communication with a thirty-some person about historical events in 50’s –70’s. This was the time that I grew from a teen to adult in and they were not yet born. When talking about events, especially political events, like civil rights and peace activities they just have a different attitude. Many of us just did what we thought was the right thing in the sixties and it felt good. The sixties were the generation of the ‘be ins’ marches and happenings. We were idealistic. Thirty-some people talk about strategic planning meetings, working behind the scenes, being non confrontational, gradual change and being practical.

Maybe it was because we did not have the Internet that when we wanted change in the 60’s we demanded it, not sign petitions. When I was on campus at Marquette in the 60’s we did not have so many great speakers talk with us as they do today. But when someone came to campus, we listened and did something about it. I remember the talk Eugene McCarthy gave on MU campus in 1967 when he was running for President. The next day a friend disappeared. When I asked about him to other friends they said he just went off to join the presidential campaign of McCarthy.

So Dustin being nine is growing up in a different world than I did. There are much more opportunities and information at his disposable. He has great hope to be whatever he wants to be. With age will come limits, and with limits wisdom.

Dustin is nine and I am sixty-six yet we are closer together in perception than many in the thirties. Dustin still has the great imagination of youth, while age and the wisdom found in limits have renewed my imagination. He becomes older in body and I younger in mind. Now if Dustin and I could just figure out a way to share our wisdom of experience and the imagination of innocence with all those thirty-some persons.

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