From time to time, on my Good Morning Portugal ! In the show, I will ask my viewers and listeners how they are doing.
On these occasions, it is not just a perfunctory, happy “Tudo bem?” that comes out of my busy mouth; rather, it is a heartfelt check-in that encourages our GuMPer community to look within ourselves in an authentic and vulnerable way. I do so knowing that our friendly and supportive “tribe” will meet any response with compassion and care, just as they did during the mental health-wrecking Covid-19 crisis where we launched the GMP effort!
After the pandemic, the suggested new normal seems to have stagnated not normal or never be normal againas humanity faces new challenges on many fronts, where normality itself is now a nostalgic or mythical thing, made of foggy memories. It is no longer a state we can take for granted as a more or less carefree daily experience, as it used to be when summers were long, winters were cold, and before the climate (and everything else) changed.
Every day that passes seems to bring new and greater concerns, when we consider the global situation, which of course has its influence, in some way, on the local life around us and on those with whom we live it. So I ask you today: “How are you?” – with the same sincerity, in the early morning, wondering if life as we know it, as you know it, is quite normal or perhaps a little heavy?
Recently I asked my readers not to pay too much attention to their country’s politics, however harmful that dependency may be, only to find myself a few days later caught up in British politics, as some of my countrymen took to the streets in a fit of civil and uncivil anger. Horrible scenes played out over several days, wreaking self-destructive havoc and leaving behind a layer of hasty and severe government control, barely masking a lingering and latent resentment.
Since then, I have been unable to take my eyes off the metaphorical rearview mirror I spoke of, watching in amazement as my worst fears are being realized, in real time. As my old “Rome” burns, I am also witnessing rising tensions, warring factions, and bestial behavior in far too many other parts of the world, presenting me, and us, with an ongoing challenge to stay sane in a time of madness.
I want to point out that I am also the guy who says “life is beautiful.” I have waxed lyrical and will continue to emphasize the importance of remembering the intrinsic joy that lies in an unfettered, unfiltered life, which so easily falls victim to everything I just mentioned above. the madmanwe can still, thank God, rejoice in the newborn, enjoy the true Olympic spirit and be inspired by the heroes who, without regard for their personal safety, save lives in the most disgusting and despicable scenarios that we so easily create.
The book The Fourth Turning is here
Life goes on. Love remains. And as the odds against all that is good and holy increase, strategies are needed when the answer to “How are you?” might be “Terrible, thank you” (as my father used to say to surprise superficially curious passersby). Let me testify whether your answer to that question is “Terrible,” “Terrified,” or “Traumatized.” And I have something for you, as a comfort, because the room we share is no longer big enough to accommodate both the elephant in it and a brainless Pollyanna whose only solution is to think positively.
Relief can come if we can be understanding and judgmental: an understanding of the times we live in, an understanding of those times in historical context, and an understanding of ourselves and the impulses that make them so.
One concept or framework that provides such understanding, and more importantly, hope (eventually), is the “Strauss-Howe Generational Theory,” devised by William Strauss and Neil Howe, which, as According to Wikipedia, “it is a recurring generation cycle theorized in American and Western history.”
“According to this theory, historical events are associated with recurring generational figures (archetypes). Each generational figure triggers a new era (called a turning point) that lasts about 21 years, during which a new social, political and economic climate (mood) exists,” he continues.
Turning points are part of a larger cycle.century‘, which corresponds to a long human life of about 85 years (although some have lived longer), and the theory states that a “crisis” recurs in American history after every century, which is followed by a recovery, known as a “high.”
So I allow myself to guess the turning point we are at today, asking myself: “Why do you talk about American historical cycles? And what does this have to do with the fortunes of Portugal, or even of Europe, in the feverish times we are going through?”
First of all, and I am sure this will not surprise you, we are currently going through a phase of “crisis”, in other words the “fourth turning point” of the cycle of the great century, which followed the “denouement” which included the fall of the Berlin Wall, September 11, the Gulf Wars and which culminated in the financial crisis of 2008.
Before the dismantling phase, there was the “awakening,” the era of Martin Luther King, the Vietnam War, mind-expanding drug use, and finally the first personal computers; an era synonymous with the emergence and dominance of Generation X, like me.
These are of course American chronological and cultural markers, but it is unlikely and not by chance that you are ignoring them, given their importance and impact on a global scale. Let’s be realistic: the last great historical period, the last century, Portugal has been dominated by American, Western and (literally) allied ideas that have shaped the recent development of Europe and have illuminated (or cast a shadow on) the entire world. That is why I think this framework works, even here in Portugal.
And as America, the UK and Western Europe seethe and smolder, figuratively or actually, in this precipitous period, you might like to know that in the midst of this crisis, a “high” is predicted to be coming (as history repeats itself), as if this current grim struggle and anxiety-inducing uncertainty were an entirely predictable darkness before a new dawn.
According to the theory we are examining here, it will be Generation Z (the adults-to-be and -to-be) who will lead the way, emulating their baby boomer ancestors and great-grandparents who co-created the optimistic and idealistic culture of the post-World War II era, when anything and everything seemed possible.
Knowing that history repeats itself, or at least rhymes, is both a curse and, as we see here (if Strauss and Howe are to be believed), a blessing. When the stifling gloom of these dark times seems to intensify and offer neither respite nor light, I take great comfort in knowing that “this too shall pass.”
As uncomfortable as it may be at this moment, know that the tides of time itself are pushing us towards calmer and purer waters. While acknowledging and preparing for the worst, let us not forget to leave room for hope and a historically ordained and predicted HIGH, whose breath we may soon feel on our blessed necks here in Portugal.
Par Carl Munson
Carl Munson is the host of Good Morning Portugal ! show every day of the week on YouTube and creator of www.learnaboutportugal.comwhere you can learn something new about Portugal every day!
