Graduation Day

How much have times changed in the past 50 years? What is the difference in view point, expectation, and options for college graduates today versus those in 1968? Of course, 1968 was no picnic. The Tet Offensive raged in the Viet Nam War, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated, and the inner cities burned. But in ’68, seniors in college became engaged and married soon after graduation, having children in the next few years. That was the sequence then, as religious institutions, schools, and the family dinner table imparted values. An “intact family” (two parents married for the first time and one or more children) constituted 85% of all family units. Today that number is 7%. That is not a misprint. In ’68, young adults were looking at rental apartments leading to buying a home, independence, jobs, travel (no matter how modest), reliance on an extended family—the world was wide open for us. Today, there is the sinkhole of social media, dismal job prospects with ugly commutes or distracting work at home, politicians no one trusts, high stress, a feeling of powerlessness—according to Cigna International, 91% of 18-24 year-olds report they are stressed. People who are optimistic and happy perform better, are healthier, and are more prosperous than those who are pessimistic. (Dan Gilbert, PhD, and his book, Stumbling on Happiness.) In 2021, suicide rates increased after two years of decline, and it’s worst among 15-24 year-olds where it increased by 8% (CDC). The pandemic was terrible, but perhaps more so because today’s youth are not as resilient as their forebears. In less than a generation—55 years—what have we done?

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