[Kanuk Free Press] Back in the Dream Time, elders were honored because of their accumulated knowledge, if Pops knew a better way to saddle horses that knowledge helped Junior since he saddled horses. Today if Pops knows how to tune-up cars what good is that when cars don't need to be tuned-up anymore? Now the old are relegated to extolling their own relevance while exclaiming, "I've never seen that before." Doddering ancients who use their cell phones merely to talk wonder why their grandchildren never answer their emails as Gen Z tweet each other: "Don't trust anyone over 15."The world is moving so fast, not only is today tomorrow's yesterday the generations are living in different todays today as we continue to charge our Chinese living standard to our grandchildren. Gen X and Y parents with their once hip lap-tops under their arms stare in wonder as their pre-teen Gen Zs text with one hand while Wii skydiving in the backseat. For these new additions to middle-age who're just old enough to remember Star Trek; imagine Captain Kirk visiting Captain Picard pointing at Commander Data and saying, "What's that?"
After years of being treated as if the Wisdom of the Ages were as relevant as Confucius in a fortune cookie now that we have Chicago on the Potomac, the wisdom gained in the City that Works is suddenly spot-on. Of course George the Second's doctrine of pre-emptive war made one old saying make sense beyond the Southside, "Never start fights, but if you have to hit someone back first once in a while that's all right." Then again ACORN, before it morphed into numerous faceless organizations with the same mission and different names or just became part of the nomenclature exemplified the everlasting relevance of Chicago's best known adage, "Vote early and vote often."