About American's Next Rendezvous with Destiny. By William Strauss and Neil Howe. This is the third time I have read this book. The first was in 2000, three years after the it was published. I believe it has a considerable amount of information, that is relevant today. Strauss and Howe reviewed the past five centuries and found a new turning occurs every two decades or so. With a change or turning people change how they feel about themselves, the culture, the nation, and the future.
"First Turning is a High" and shows an upbeat era of strengthening institutions, focus on individualism is reduced with a new civic order budding and old values declining.
"Second Turning is an Awakening" and shows a passionate era of spiritual unrest and the new civic order in turning one under attack.
"Third Turning is an Unraveling", individualism strengthens, institutions weaken, civic order decays and new values regime emerge.
"The Fourth Turning is a Crisis" with secular upheaval and the new values regime from Third Turning replacing civic order.
The book written in 1997 indicates the Third Turning began mid 1980's with Regan's "Morning in America."
The Fourth Turning, The Crisis era, would come around 2005. Sound familiar. From Strauss and Howe I quote "Political and and economic trust will implode. Real hardship will beset the land, with severe distress that could involve questions of class, race, nation and empire. Yet this time will bring seeds of social rebirth. Americans will share a regret about recent mistakes---and a resolute new consensus about what to do. the very survival of the nation will feel a t stake. Sometime before the year 2025, America will pass through a great gate in history...."
The facts in Strauss and Howe's book are part of the reasons I believe we are in for a long haul and are not close to the end of our downturn. If history repeats itself we will start to emerge several years from now. It is comforting to know this type of era has passed before us many times and we have emerged into an era that is upbeat and a "High" era. The authors also give a chapter on preparing for the crisis. Still useful at this date.
No way around it if we live 80 plus years, we will experience all of the eras. In my opinion it is important to prepare your mind and world mentally to handle what lies ahead. Now that you know about the various cycles, calculate your age to see how old you will be in each cycle, that is after picking up this book,reading it and doing your own analysis to see if it fits into your thinking and if it is helpful on how to manage what we are experiencing now.
