New Kids in Town
By Clay Hipp
A letter to the young, a dare worth taking
I have had the extreme privilege of sharing the classroom with thousands of bright, talented undergraduates at three institutions of "higher learning" for four decades. It would be wrong to judge them solely on their intellect. They are real, feeling young adults from many backgrounds and cultures, just learning to look around, see the world, and form their own perspectives. They see the wonders and the flaws — and yet it seems to me that they do not consider themselves to be in a position to create change where it is needed.
We know from experience that when people feel unempowered or neglected, one common way of coping with that seeming insignificance is to withdraw into their own small worlds. They may also ignore advice from anyone who shows a lack of respect for their "personhood."
These conditions need to change, and right now. That is what motivated the letter below.
I offer it to you for what it is worth.
Enter the Young
— after the song by The Association
This is an open letter to all those between eighteen and thirty. (Yes, I am speaking to you.) The time is here; the time is now. Are you truly willing to let this moment pass you by without raising your voice — without asserting your ability and your right to create a future you will be proud of? Fifty or so years from now, you will look back and ask: How did we get here? What just happened? What role did I play?
Enter the young….
“Some are walkin’, some are ridin’;
Here they come, yeah
Some are flyin’, some just glidin’;
Released after years of being kept in hidin’;
They’re climbin’ up the ladder rung by rung
(Enter the young)
Yeah, here they come
Oh, some question some decisions
Here they come
Some with facts and some with visions
Of a place and multiply without the use of divisions
To win a prize that no one’s ever won
(Here they come, yeah)
Well, some are laughin’, some are cryin’,
Here they come
And some are doin’, some are tryin’,
Some are sellin’, some are buyin’,
Some are livin, some are dyin’,
But demandin’; recognition one by one
Enter the young, yeah
Yeah, they’ve learned to think
Enter the young, yeah
More than you think they think
Not only learned to think but to care
Not only learned to think but to dare.”
— Lyrics by Terry Kirkman, performed by The Association (1966)
It would please me more than you can know for you to read these lyrics, listen to the song, and feel the challenge. Then, if it moves you, make it your anthem. Become one of those promising young heroes and heroines. Take up the banner of freedom and citizenship, and begin the work of creating the country you can believe in — the one you need in order to live well, and to teach this generation and the next about the challenge that never ends.
First and foremost:
Register to vote … and VOTE.
How does one decide? Choose a side: one has "special interests," the other "special ideals." Each has its political goals; try to identify them honestly. Neither possesses "the truth." If you cannot choose, look toward the middle. There are more and more candidates who may be "affiliated" but who do not fully identify with their own party's platform. And then there are the true independents — a very interesting bunch as well. Better to listen to prominent voices from each, and to notice whose interests are more in tune with your own instincts and ideals. Listen to those who seem willing to talk with the other side, and to reach for real solutions to our shared problems and needs.
Listen to your heart as much as your head. Listen to love.
The song above was written and performed in the mid-1960s, about a different generation. My generation. We have not done such a great job. We have not looked after you, or after our world, as well as we should have. We started out much the way you do now. We achieved much. We answered the call of a young president who lost his life in service to us, and wrote a bold new law about our "Civil Rights" as individuals — we took to the streets to show our support. We both served in and protested our part in the war in Vietnam — and some of us died in protest. We came to see that our planet was suffering threats to its environment, and we created the Endangered Species Act and the Environmental Protection Agency. There was a renewed sense of promise.
But we also failed to see the harm in our willing embrace of an extreme individualism and the "freedom" of an unfettered marketplace. (A songwriter friend calls it the "Land of the Bottom Line.") A clash of philosophies over the reach of a large and growing federal government began to divide us.
What do we do to restore our fragile Union?
Help us out….
“Enter the young (yeah)
Yeah, they’ve learned how to think
Enter the young (yeah)
More than you think, they think
Not only learned to think but to care
Not only learned to think but to dare
Enter the young”
Only the young — you and yours — may be the saviors of your own fragile world now. Sing it to yourselves, to your friends, your family, your neighbors. Sing it to the sky. When you sing, you make the world a better place.
Think more, and care as much. I, for one, respect your gifts and your abilities.
I only ask that you use them well. I dare you….
Note to members of the Orlando Gatito Society: if you have young-adult children, if you teach them, if you regularly cross paths with them — please consider forwarding this post if you feel it's appropriate. You might even suggest they sign up for the Society's posts. I would greatly appreciate it; Also, Orlando would encourage it. He almost certainly shares our concerns.