Monday, July 2, 2012

Change and the Elderly

It has long been noticed that older people don't like change. (sometimes this is more assumed than tested).
I have a hunch that it is about to get harder though.
 I have these two observations.

1. Bringing about change with those born in the 'war years', is like pushing a 100kg block of stone along the floor. You have to push really hard. They stick together. You move in small increments. And eventually you get there

2. Bringing about change with baby boomers is like pushing a 100kg block of jelly across the floor. If you push, they wobble, but don't move. If you push hard you are enveloped by the jelly. Then you thrash around a bit. The block disintegrates, some melts. It breaks into small isolated coagulations all over the place. The apparent lack of solidity, the apparent fluidity, the lack of form, makes it all the harder to budge.

Our churches are in for a blast of a ride in the next 10-20 years, as our elders slowly have no (set) liturgical tradition, but long for the 'contemporary' services of the 70's and 80's. Very, very few are going to move into the early morning prayer book services, which means all of us are going to have to learn to get along with a generation that (sometimes) didn't want to learn to get along with their elders.

Fun times

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