The Last Generation

Imagine a family of farmers, out in the middle of the country.  Their farm, a small plot of land, which is maintained by the father of the family, and his young son who helps him out during the afternoon after he returns home from school and on the weekends, is their only means of livelyhood.  Sadly, the father, the man of the house, has fallen terribly ill.  Terminal cancer, only about three weeks left to live once he recieved the results of the test back.  The news is heart breaking to his loving wife, and his son and three younger daughters, and infant son. 

Though trying to make his father's last days as comforting as possible, the young twelve year old boy is in need of his own comforting.  With his father, his hardworking father soon about to part from this world, from the farm, the young boy now has to become a young man.  His mother has to care for the infant child, but never would have been able to do a significant amount of work anyway, for many years past she was in a near fatal accident and her back is very frail. 

Therefore, this young boy is now the new man of the house, given the job of a full grown man at such a young age.  He knows not how to cope, as he stands beside the bed of his father as he moves on the his next life. 

Sorrow, primarily is gripping his heart and soul, but so is anger.  Untimely given this burden to provide for his family, he has to bring it together or the farm will fail.  This in a way, is what our older generation has done to us.

After the previous generations were the forefront of so many advances; medically, culturally, economically, among many others; thinking we were about to reach the next generation of the world, and advanced, global, peaceful community, we are trapped.  We have to now devote our lives to fixing the problems of our ancestors, the mistakes and problems they so easily left us to deal with. 

With the environment in near ruin, society going haywire, obesity and unhealthy food taking control, and world poverty and disease spreading, we need to take action and do what ever it is necessary, not only what we hold within our presumes power, but we need to an will reach beyond our self-constructed boundries to develop new solutions to these steaming issues.  We are the generation that will make the difference, and if we don't, well, then we will be not the generation that will make a difference, but the last generation knowing any form of prosperous and peaceful life.  We will be proactive, we will be monumental, and we will be responsible.