9-11: Part Seven, Chapter Four...

"You don't build a bond without being present."

-James Earl Jones 

[First and foremost, my continued sympathies to all those who lost loved ones, as well as my ongoing prayers to everyone affected by this tragic event.] 

While there are principled explanations as to how the Twin Towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001, we can all agree that WHAT happened DID happen. I will spare anyone who is reading this the details; one can easily research it online.  There has been much outrage and heated debate over this.  It is a result of the inflamed emotions of the collective.  Why is that?

Amidst the chaos of the modern day, there could be a viable answer. Again, the civil unrest in the world, particularly prominent in the USA, needs no indulging here. Simply put, many folks are getting way too “thin-skinned,” invasive, entitled, and vocally immature. Instead of digressing, I thought to share what I have come across recently. It is not a new concept. 

The Fourth Turning (1997) by William Strauss and Neil Howe explains history repeats itself in four cycles or "turnings" (each lasting about 20 years or more): The High, The Awakening, The Unraveling and The Crisis. Each cycle goes in tandem with the generational archetypes. The four cycles are a part of a larger cyclical “saeculum” aka “a natural century,” before repeating the whole thing again. It is important to note that this book is somewhat “Western/US-centric.”  

According to the book and recent podcasts from the remaining living author Neil Howe, we have been in the Fourth Turning of the Millennial Saeculum since around 2005. That to me makes sense, since there has been one crisis after another (e.g., Great Recession, COVID-19 pandemic, War in Ukraine, increasing toxic political and racial divide in the USA, etc.). When we will get out of this, in all maturity, is entirely up to us. We need to stop pointing fingers, and get to work on ourselves—one day at a time. 

AMOR FATI 

Thank you and good night.