Alas, they learn from us

A guy in the locker room was trying to pull a T-shirt over the bulge of his belly. When the wrestling match eventually was won by the man, spectators could see that the front of the T-shirt read, "The older I get..." On the back: "...the better I was."

So true. For many of us AARPers in particular, we think of ourselves aging more gracefully than perhaps we actually are. And we're fierce critics of those who don't come close to measuring up to the standards of excellence we've set.

Let's see a show of hands: How many of you reading this editorial have criticized the youth of America for being self-centered and therefore selfish? Of having developed potentially lethal allergies to hard work? Of not understanding what sacrifice is all about and, therefore, persistently pursuing the path of least resistance?

As a matter of public record, our hand is straight up in the air. In a moment of clarity and complete honesty, we recall some of the many times we have lambasted our nation's youth for their unforgivable frailties in a changing world that demands greater and greater resourcefulness. We have developed disk problems in our neck from years of shaking our head at the lazy, self-absorbed, unwilling-to-pay-the-price attitude of younger generations. How could we have done so much, so well, and these youngsters refuse to follow our sterling example?

News bulletin: Could it be that they actually are?

We complain mercilessly about the staggering student loans they've taken that have crippled their financial futures. Anybody notice the national debt lately? You know, the one our generation created?

We have declared war on all things "entitlement," so when we refer to youth as "the entitlement generation," a harsher charge could hardly be leveled. But who insists upon collecting every penny of Social Security as early as possible before it's all gone, and every benefit of Medicare regardless of the amount we paid in? Who screams loudest when the threat of tax reform is pointed at our pocketbook in the form of reducing or eliminating mortgage interest and other deductions?

As wicked a word as "entitlement" has become, few words are as revered as "sacrifice." Our kids and grandkids don't understand it, do they? Well, why should they? What are we showing them in terms of our willingness to sacrifice today for a better tomorrow? We fight every suggested tax increase for desperately needed infrastructure - infrastructure improvements that could create a massive wave of good jobs - and then we complain because our roads have ruts and potholes and our bridges aren't safe. We encourage risk in business and technology and science for the much greater good that comes from transcending status quo and competing internationally, yet we're willing to take none of it ourselves by investing in it, because we refuse to look past the short-term pain.

For our country to thrive and future generations to prosper, we have to put the past - fact and fiction - behind us. Our T-shirts should say, "The older I get, the better I'll be."