The Hero Generation [What this Means for Millennials]
Ever had a feeling that this generation, simply named the ‘Millennial Generation’, was destined for something greater? It is an idea, a feeling, that I’ve always had. We have all heard of the “Great Generation” that brought the country through the Great Depression and World War 2, but what if I broached a simple question? What if we are the next Great generation?It turns out, science backs up my intuitive feeling. A few weeks ago, I met a friend for coffee, and he began to tell me about a sermon he heard – in which the pastor spoke about a theory that America functions on an 80-year cycle. The theory is called the Strauss-Howe Generational Theory.Since that morning, my perception of this generation, my generation, has never been the same. The theory postulates that our society operated on 80-year cycles, with four generations in each cycle.
By this theory, this generation is the next “Hero Generation” – a generation that rescues the country from a crisis that shakes the very core of the country.
If we look back in American history, we find that every 80 years, the country suffers a great crisis – and in that crisis, the country finds its’ identity again, and this includes its’ identity in Christ. In 1782, the Revolutionary war was winding down. America was never again the same. Fast forward 80 years, we are now in 1862; The civil war is raging. America was never again the same. Fast forward 80 more years – 1942, World War 2… America has just suffered a devastating defeat to the Japanese empire at Pearl Harbor. 80 more years – we are at 2022.
Will our crisis be a war? It does not have to be. The crisis can be anything which threatens the very survival of the country, and leads the country to re-discover itself. According to this theory, millennials (1982-2002) are the next Great Generation. Hero generations are known to be nicer, more friendly, morally upstanding, more team-oriented, confident, ambitious, and optimistic. The crazy thing is – independent data supports this.
This is data that supports what I’ve always known - This generation, the millennial generation, will save this country. We will save the country by leading people to God, by giving the country hope again; they will see God moving within us, and they will want to follow. We will illuminate the path for a nation. We are the next Great Generation. Heck, we even cut our hair like them.