I first heard the term “The Greatest Generation” from television journalist and author Tom Brokaw’s book. After some study I learned that it was first used by a general upon retirement addressing Congress after having led the Eighth Army in World War II and the Korean War. “The men of the Eighth Army are a magnificent lot, and I have always said the greatest generation of Americans we have ever produced.”

In Brokaw’s book he profiles Americans who came of age during the Great Depression and went on to fight in World War II. In it are stories of those that stayed behind and contributed to the war effort any way they could. Brokaw noted that this was not done for “fame or recognition” but because it was “the right thing to do.”

The many that stayed behind served silently by going without. They worked extra shifts, turned the lights out, cut back anyway they could in support of the common good for all. They made hard choices doing so with fervor when time and circumstance required them to do so.

People made sacrifices because they knew others were fighting the fight on their behalf. Those fighting the fight did so at their own peril and held no preconceived expectations of glory or fame; they expected no accolades, no praise. They did their job.

Compared to the generations of that time and of our own families who came before us, I believe our human condition is much weaker now than before. We have grown soft over time. Our feelings are frayed easily and physically we look to technology to remedy just about any challenge. Our societal ways and approach to just about everything has more to do with us as individuals and what others might think instead of what needs to be done for others.

In David McCullough’s book John Adams, the second U.S. president, who many would posit was a real pain, was both irascible in his temperament and tough physically, as were many during that time in history. He did not dawdle with life but carried on, whatever the cost.

In a talk McCullough gave to elementary school students, a question was asked: What made these men so different from us today? “A great question.” McCullough commented. His answer in two words: “Their toughness.” McCullough then went on to say: “Not only were these men very well read, intelligent and collectively on a mission towards independence, but they were tough physically and mentally.”

He then referenced the opening of his book. February of 1775, Adams began his journey on horseback from Braintree, Mass., to Philadelphia. Adams rode through a snowstorm on heavily ice-covered dirt roads and then through mud for over 600 miles to arrive in time for the start of the first Continental Congress.

Today we grumble about just about everything. Having to drive back to the store because we forgot something; too many commercials on TV interrupting our favorite program; lack of “likes” on a social media post; the cost to live life all while worrying about how we look, feel, what others might think and that tomorrow will pretty much be the same as today.

Adams did not expect fanfare at the end of his journey. He did not commiserate on the tough journey. He expected to get to work soon after arriving. He did his job. I sense that many of us today, when asked the question, “What made are ancestors so different from us today,” would answer that they were much more resilient and tougher than we are today.

We need not look back far to find that toughness — perhaps one or two generations to find that resolute toughness. Faced with adversity, hardships and the trials of both life and society, they all persevered in their own way and they did so without complaint. “That’s just the way it was,” I remember my great-grandfather saying to me one Christmas. “We did (live), and we did so without.”

My great-grandfather worked 50 years at a silk mill in Allentown, Penn. Upon retiring he owned a neighborhood grocery store. There he, and his wife served customers from the neighborhood. When he was in his 80s with the grocery store long gone and he a widower, my great-grandfather walked a route delivering newspapers every morning, “so I could be of use and stay active,” he said.

If he were alive today he would be amused by what we are challenged with, what frustrates us. He would be shocked at the luxuries — now considered essentials — afforded us through technology. Has that technology made us “soft?” Yes, sadly, I believe it has.

And much like Adams or those who served in uniform or in the factories during times of strife and war or as a man doing what he could till the very end, they all would look us sternly in the eye and say: “Get on with it, and stop your grumbling.”

My great-grandfather was born in 1887. Today, he would warn that every minute of worry or anger takes two minutes away from enjoying the abundance that life offers. He would also remind that we should heed the wisdom of those that came before us while applying the memory of their fortitude.

© 2024 RJ Heller

First published: The Quoddy Tides, March 22, 2024