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calliope_gw

Quote 30th October

calliope
12 years ago

Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room."

� Bill Gates

Comments (7)

  • anneliese_32
    12 years ago

    Could have used that quote about 30 years ago! Love it.

  • oscarthecat
    12 years ago

    Good one from Bill Gates;. Steve in Baltimore County

  • endorphinjunkie
    12 years ago

    Hmm, one might choose to see this as a shot at Steve Jobs and Apple. He is taking aim at Apple's target market....

    Just sayin'....

  • calliope
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Probably is, Dorph. And I suppose both entities competed for market in life as well. Competition is about as pregnant as necessity as far as being the mother of invention. Both men were/are a product of their own genius and stretched the boundaries of imagination.

    I think where I am going with this one is that each generation believes itself to be more unique and visionary than the last, but the truth is that we are not so different than our parents or grandparents or any generation before them. We have all had essentially the same dream and that is to make our 'present' better than the past and the future better than the present for our offspring. It's sobering to reach a certain age of maturity and have it suddenly hit you just how intelligent your parents really were and how much they sacrificed of their dream to feed yours.

  • coconut_nj
    12 years ago

    The cycle of life, eh? Each generation develops their own music, clothes, morality, love or lack of arts, etc.. Eventually we get to look back and see that for just what is is. Part of progression or regression of the species. As always, the hard part is being supportive of that process without reacting negatively when it grates on our elder sensibilities. Smiles.

  • west_gardener
    12 years ago

    calliope, I agree,: "but the truth is that we are not so different than our parents or grandparents or any generation before them".
    The dreams are the same, but the methods to get to the dreams are different in each generation because of innovation.

  • calliope
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yes Coconut. My Mama recollected to me she wished to grow up to be a flapper. Her g'father, who raised her (a Quaker) wanted no "Floppers" in his home. LOL. So she sneaked off to her g'father's barbershop at the age of nine and convinced the proprietor she had permission to get a 'boyish bob'. As you said, he sucked it up and life went on. Until she decided at about the same age, she should crank up his model T and go pick him up at work. Ah, the exuberance of youth. G'pa did not drive, but had someone drive for him, so he was obliged to let Mama drive him home. rofl. I suspect in those days if one were behind the wheel of a machine, it was assumed they could operate it.

    And yes.......achieving the dreams are different because of innovation, but also different because of perspectives and attitudes. But, I suspect the desire to reach them is timeless.