BOOK REVIEW: The Fourth Turning is Here

Click HERE to Buy this BOOK

In past blog articles, I have often cited the theories of generational scholars, William Strauss and Neil Howe. Their research, which focuses on the cycles of history in an effort to make generalized predictions about the future, fascinates me from both a personal and professional standpoint. Moreover, the information they share is broadly applicable and relevant to everyone, regardless of their age or generation.  

My mother-in-law recently gave me a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble for my birthday. In addition to getting a book or toy for each of my kids, I spotted a book among the stacks that I just knew I had to buy. It was Neil Howe's latest book on Generational Theory, published this year (2023), entitled, The Fourth Turning is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This Crisis Will End.

The crisis Howe is referring to is the "Crisis of 2020," which he and his colleague, William Strauss, predicted all the way back in the late 1990s. According to Strauss and Howe, the Crisis of 2020 will take place during the decade of the 2020s and be on par with previous major crises, such as World War II, The Civil War, and the American Revolution.

Based on their extensive research, Howe and Strauss have concluded that major, generation-defining crises typically arise on a cyclical basis every four generations (approximately 80 years). The "Fourth Turning" refers to the world's transition from the third generational period into the fourth (or final) generational period of a given cycle, and is marked by some kind of major crisis. The last three major crises took place in the 1770-80s (American Revolution), the 1860s (Civil War), and the 1940s (WW2). According to Strauss and Howe's theory, this means our next great crisis is due during the 2020s.

When the Covid-19 Pandemic broke out, it seemed evident to me that the Crisis of 2020 was indeed upon us, and right on schedule!

However, the more I thought about it, the more evident it became to me that the pandemic was likely just a prelude—an opening act of sorts—to a much bigger and more devastating crisis yet to come.

As his new book makes clear, this is Howe's perspective as well.

I won't spoil the book for you by sharing too many details discussed therein. Suffice it to say, Howe's book serves as a warning about the period of history we are presently passing through, and the severe trial-by-fire that is likely to enflame us before the end of the decade.

One of the things I like best about Howe's book is that despite its dire predictions, it is not all doom-and-gloom. To the contrary, it is quite hopeful and optimistic about the future in spite of our nation's current cultural divisions, political polarization, and other troubles.

To wit: Howe believes it is not only possible—but likely—that Americans will ultimately rise to the occasion by setting our differences aside in order to unite and successfully confront whatever troubles lie ahead—just as our ancestors did during World Wars and the Great Depression, the Civil War, and the American Revolution. Howe notes that while a positive outcome to the "Crisis of 2020" is not guaranteed, he remains optimistic about our potential to meet and transcend whatever crucible is headed our way. 

I agree with him on this and many other points he makes in this and other books he has co-authored. 

Indeed, I enthusiastically share Howe's belief that our future can still be better and brighter than our past, and that our best days (by far) still lie ahead of us, not behind us, regardless of the enormity of present and future obstacles. Howe, in fact, underscores the great truth that character is best forged not in times of comfort or peace, but in moments of grave conflict and serious difficulty. Thus, whatever challenges await us may actually serve as a means of our future survival and success. In making this point, Howe quotes Helen Keller, who once said: Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Helen Keller
1880-1968

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

—Helen Keller

Of course no one knows exactly what the future holds. Nevertheless, Howe suggests that a serious armed conflict (on par with the two previous World Wars) between the growing divide of Great Powers (i.e. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea vs. The Western Democracies) is a very real possibility in coming years. In light of Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine, reminiscent of Imperial Germany's "Rape of Belgium" in August 1914 and the Nazi's unprovoked invasion of Poland in September 1939, the possibility of such a repeat of history does seem plausible.

As Howe puts it:

"Once again, the long-dormant threat of war between the world's great powers has jumped back to life, only this time with nine nations already armed with nuclear weapons. Once again, the authoritarian powers are drawing together, united by their territorial ambitions and by their conviction that democracies have lost their will to resist. ... 

"Just before retiring at the end of 2022, Admiral Charles Richard, head of the U.S. Strategic Command, declared that 'this Ukrainian crisis that we're in right now, this is just the warmup. ... The big one is coming. And it isn't going to be very long before we're going to get tested in ways that we haven't been tested ... for a long time.'" (1) 

Unfortunately, an armed conflict on par with previous world wars will likely prove many times more calamitous than its historical precedents because technological advances have greatly expanded our capacity for death and destruction on a large scale. Thus, we remain hopeful that such a conflict can yet be averted. 

Nevertheless, as Howe lays out in cogent detail, a mammoth crisis of one kind or another—including perhaps a second civil war—is virtually certain to unfold sometime later this decade. As such, he suggests that the best thing each of us can do is take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to prepare ourselves (and those over whom we wield responsibility and influence) for whatever is to come, thus maximizing the likelihood of an end result marked by victory, peace, and the dawn of a new age filled with light and hope.

"In a Democracy (or any other organization)
the quality of the individual is supreme."

~ Theodore Roosevelt

Citing the Bhagavad Gita, Howe explains that "each person has a role, chosen or not, that he or she should strive to fulfill as perfectly and as selflessly as possible. ... He must fulfill that role, and do so with as much proficiency, honor, and humanity as he can muster." (2)

Sounds a little like SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP, doesn't it? 

Which brings us to a fascinating question...

WHY has SAL not caught on in any significant way yet? 

After so much effort devoted to its animation, creation, organization, and perpetuation over the past 20 years, why does it continue to be so widely disregarded and ignored, especially when its need, efficacy, and value are so patently self-evident?

TIMING isn't everything;
but it is the hinge upon which the door of destiny swings.

As you can imagine, I've spent a lot of time pondering this perplexing question myself over the last two decades. In the process, I have come to a variety of different peripheral conclusion. But the main answer always boils down to one word: TIMING.

America and the World are in such turmoil right now and individuals everywhere are so dreadfully distracted by an unending litany of superfluous diversions and divisions that they simply can't see their own personal need for SAL. 

But when the timing is right, they will.

     Indeed... when the timing is right, YOU will as well.

In fact, if you are reading these words right now on September 22, 2023, you are already making significant progress along your own SAL journey, an achievement for which I congratulate you.

The burning and lingering question that remains, then, is as follows: will SAL take off during the crisis, after the crisis, or a combination of both?

While it is certainly possible it could end up playing a significant role in preparing individuals to face and overcome the crisis once it is upon us, it is probably more likely that it will serve as a go-to template for rebuilding lives, organizations, and society-at-large after the dust has finally cleared. But if the past is precedent to the present, I (somewhat sadly) doubt that SAL will garner any significant traction before the onset of the crisis.

But as always...

     I could be wrong!

Otto Von Bismarck
1815-1898

Determined to unify Germany's disparate states into

one country, Bismarck succeeded in part because

of his "Iron & Blood" policy, which, albeit

successful, also foreshadowed the horrors to come

later on at the Western Front in WWI. 

In the meantime, it is hard for any historian (professional or amateur) to ignore the historical parallels between recent international events (and their concomitant military buildups) and eerily similar escalations that previously occurred in the decades leading up to 1914 and 1939.

When overtly aggressive powers build up their militaries in significant and provocative ways, history more-or-less guarantees it is only a matter of time before they begin using their stockpiles of men and machines—or "Iron and Blood" as Otto Von Bismarck put it—to advance their imperial geopolitical aims.

Whether it is the French Emperor Napoleon and his Grand Armée's invasion of Russia in 1812, the Kaiser's Imperial German Army's invasion of Belgium and France in 1914, or Hitler's Luftwaffe and Wermacht invading all of Western Europe in 1939-40, the same pattern has played out over-and-over-and-over again throughout history. Indeed, one of the greatest and most myopic errors of late twentieth and early twenty-first century Western politicians has been their naïve cultivation of the myth that the human race had collectively outgrown human evil and its related imperial ambitions for conquest. Such naïvete has led to policies and inactions that have emboldened our enemies in ways not seen for nearly 80 years, as Russia so provocatively proved on February 24, 2022.

Given the routine cycling of conquest and war throughout history—and its tendency to create a seedbed for progress in subsequent generations—Howe courageously discusses the important role that war has played throughout history. The obvious question that arises from such a discussion, of course, is whether humankind can ultimately survive and thrive (progress) without it. After all, where would America be at all without its Revolution?  And how much longer would slavery had lingered had there been no Civil War? And what would America have become in the second half of the twentieth century without its trial by fire at the end of the first half? In other words, are human beings capable of developing the moral qualities (e.g. sacrifice, loyalty, community, altruism, focus, determination, persistence, etc.) that war inevitably forges without the war itself? Howe closes his discussion this way:

"Here is where the question must be left to rest. Few of us are so without hope that we insist on the strict necessity of war. At the same time, few of us are so without prudence that we insist that this time must be different." (3)

Without any doubt or question, evil and the lust for imperial conquest remain alive and well in the twenty-first century.

Soldiers of Napoleon's Grand Armée
during the Russian disaster of 1812

Evil and other imperial ambitions of conquest must always be discouraged, dissuaded, and where necessary checked by strong, freedom-loving defensive armed forces. This is why Freedom Focused will always support the military philosophy of Peace through Strength—as long as the nations upholding said philosophy remain committed to an anti-imperial, defensive doctrine of warfare.

As such, it behooves the United States, the European Union, and their allies to continually seek to outpace the leadership and military capabilities of their growing axis of enemies. It was, after all, brilliant leadership by the Duke of Wellington and strong allied coalition forces (in concert with the Russian winter) that defeated Napoleon between 1812-1815. 

Similarly, it was strong allied forces (bolstered at the end by the United States) that checked the aggressive imperial aims of the Central Powers in World War I. This same song, albeit a different verse, played out again in World War II as brilliant and inspired leaders named Churchill, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower led massive armies and armaments in an unconditional defeat of the Axis Powers.

Despite the obvious risks of preparing for any armed conflict, the greatest risk of all is to be caught unawares and unprepared by the enemy who seeks your downfall. Hence, it is weakness that invites the greatest calamity of all. For the West to prevail in whatever struggles lie ahead, the West must be strong. Just as importantly, the West must be united in the cause of liberty, freedom, and brotherhood.  

As the old saying goes: United We Stand; Divided We Fall.

If the world is to survive and thrive,
it must look to the light of TRUTH,
UNITY, LIBERTY, and FREEDOM.

Freedom Focused and SAL stand ready to serve whenever and however our nation and her allies call upon us: be that before, during, or after whatever calamity currently lies at our doorstep decides to burst through the door.     

I call upon Americans, Westerners, and everyone else on Planet Earth to embrace SAL and unite around the shared ideals of liberty, FREEDOM, and brotherhood... and the sooner the better, so that we might best prepare ourselves and stand in readiness for the crucibles that are most assuredly coming.

Who knows, if enough of us embrace SAL before the conflict expands, we might even be able to prevent it from consuming the world in chaos and destruction.  

Will YOU join and stand with me in this quest?

—Dr. JJ

Friday, September 22, 2023

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 348th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 165th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.   

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 347 FF Blog Articles 

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL QUOTES  

Click HERE for a complete listing of Freedom Focused SAL POEMS   

Click HERE to access the FULL TEXT of Dr. JJ's Psalms of Life: A Poetry Collection

Click HERE for a complete listing of Self-Action Leadership Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Fitness, Heath, & Wellness Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Biographical & Historical Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Current Events, Cultural, Philosophical, & Miscellaneous Articles

Click HERE for a complete listing of Dr. JJ's Autobiographical Articles

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  

Click HERE to learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Notes:

1).  Howe, N. (2023) The Fourth Turning is Here. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Pages 240-241. 

2).  Ibid. Page 457.

3).  Ibid. Page 287.

Historical Events and the Growing Threat of Global Conflict

The Iron Cross: an historical symbol of the German Military 

On the fourth of August, 1914, the Imperial German Army belligerently crossed the Belgian border with three-quarters of a million soldiers.

The invasion that followed—which has since become known as the "Rape of Belgium"—took the lives of 30,000 Belgian soldiers. Along the way, thousands of Belgian civilians also lost their lives as collateral damage in the violent and destructive rampage that desolated the Belgian homeland.

Germany's subsequent invasion of France was similarly bloody and destructive. Penetrating deep into the heart of Northern France, the Germans progressed to within 25 miles of Paris before finally being halted by French and British troops at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914. 

Aerial view of World War 1 trench systems

The ensuing stalemate led to the construction of 500 miles of intricate trench networks that began at the English Channel in the north and extended southward all the way to the Swiss Border. The violence and death that would follow on the Western Front and beyond would prove unprecedented in the annals of human history. Sadly, this "War to End All Wars" proved to be anything but, and instead planted the seeds of an even greater conflict to come a mere quarter century later.    

Thus, in an eerie repeat of history, Germany's Adolf Hitler ordered upwards of two million soldiers across the German border into Poland before dawn on Friday, September 1, 1939, commencing one of the largest military invasions in human history. Less than two years later, Hitler gave the same order to nearly FOUR (4) million Wermacht soldiers, directing them to invade the largest nation on Earth (the Soviet Union) in the most expansive invasion in world history. No military campaign has ever been waged on the scale of Operation Barbarossa—before or since.

In addition to Poland and the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany also invaded Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece. Few others in history (i.e. Alexander the Great, the Romans, and Napoleon Bonaparte) had undertaken such an ambitious conquest of Continental Europe. And no preceding conquerer had ever proceeded with such an evil aim of genocide roiling in his heart, mind, and soul.   

 

The threat of a a major land invasion once again looms large in Europe.

The prolonged series of cascading calamities that accompanied these invasions was unprecedented and has been well chronicled along the historical timeline of World War II—the deadliest armed conflict in humanity's long and colorful history.

In consideration of the fateful events of 8/4/14 and 9/1/39—and others like them throughout history—any thoughtful observer of history is understandably alarmed by current events transpiring along the Ukrainian border in Eastern Europe and off the coast of Taiwan in the South China Sea. 

It is no secret that history tends to repeat itself, at least generally speaking. And while individual historical events rarely presage future occurrences precisely, the foremost purpose of studying history is unquestionably to inform current issues and infuse them with wisdom to avert future disasters. Sadly, this recurring harvest of collateral wisdom is too often ignored by power brokers in the present, thus leading the human race into calamity-after-calamity that could and ought to have been avoided. Indeed, it seems as thought the temptation for a dictator to think he is "different" or "special" compared to conquered conquerers of the past is all-too-often too great to resist. 

Queen Victoria of Great Britain
Grandmother of King George V
and Kaiser Wilhelm II.

In 1914, the power brokers were Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King George V of England, and Tsar Nicholas of Russia. Amazingly, all three of these monarchs were first cousins, with the former two being grandsons of Queen Victoria (1819-1901) of Great Britain. The ensuing calamity brought on (in part) by the strained relations of these three cousins resulted in the Great War (World War I), which claimed the lives of 10 million soldiers, another 10 million civilians, and wounded another 20 million combined (40 million total casualties).  

In 1939, the aggressors were Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito of Germany, Italy, and Japan, respectively. To a lesser extent, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union was also an aggressor when he invaded Poland from the east, thereby carving up the country after Hitler invaded from the west. However, Stalin later joined the Allies after Hitler predictably reneged on their alliance and invaded the Soviet Union.

The Allies were led by Winston Churchill and King George VI of Great Britain, and Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States. The ensuing calamity was twice as costly as the First World War in terms of human deaths, to say nothing of the unprecedented material destruction.

In 2022, the power brokers on the aggressor side are Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Xinping of China, and the tyrannical regimes in Iran and North Korea. Those defending democracy and freedom include a quasi-united front of Western Allies spanning the balance of the globe from the Ukrainian border all the way to Australia in the South Pacific and Southern Indian Oceans. 

Have we not seen this story and sung this song before... more than once?

          Will the third chapter/verse of this story and song be different than the first and second?

                    Is World War III imminent? 

The answer to the first question is unquestionably "YES."

The Winter Olympics may be the last thing standing in the
way of Vladimir Putin's well-chronicled imperial ambitions.

The answer to the second question is: We do not presently know for sure. If I were a betting man, I'd wager good money that Putin will not pull the trigger on any kind of major invasion or minor incursion into Ukraine until after the close of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Any action against Ukraine before the closing ceremonies of the XXIV Olympiad would upstage Putin's ally, Xi, something that is not in either of the rulers' interest. Chances are, however, that Putin will give the order for his troops to move relatively soon after that.

Although I'm sincerely hopeful Putin will choose to pull back his troops and abandon his imperial aims and designs, history suggests that such an abandonment is unlikely. 

The answer to the third question is: hopefully not! 

Nevertheless, the threat of such a dire calamity remains, and citizens of nations everywhere should recognize the growing threat inherent in events transpiring along the frontiers of Eastern Europe and the shores of Southeast Asia.

Initially speaking, a Russian invasion of Ukraine will no more bring about World War than Germany's invasion of Poland. After all, it took 21 additional months before Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and 27 more months before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, turning a bi-regional conflict into a full-fledged, multi-fronted world war. Broader conflicts do not materialize overnight. They develop incrementally over time. That is why NOW is the time for Western Leaders everywhere to take clear, strong, wise, and united actions aimed at preventing present events from entering the slippery slope that leads treacherously and inevitably toward global conflict.  

There are different opinions about what Vladimir Putin will decide to do. Some say his troop buildups are a bluff intended to obtain leverage and other gains without having to invoke military action. Hopefully, such voices are right. Unfortunately, history is scant when it comes to stories of massive troop-buildups that all-of-a-sudden pull back and disregard their well-laid out dreams, plans, and hopes of conquest.

On the other hand, history is replete with examples of the foolhardiness of attempting to appease bullies without invoking clear and strong RED LINES and then inviolably defending them.

Perhaps the most famous historical example of appeasement involved Great Britain's Neville Chamberlain signing the infamous "Munich Agreement" with Hitler in 1938. Chamberlain flew back to Great Britain with the signed treaty and a smile, claiming he had secured "Peace for our Time." In reality, he merely handed over Czechoslovakia to Hitler while emboldening him to accelerate Nazi imperial ambitions by turning them towards the West, imperiling France... and then endangering Great Britain itself. 

Neville Chamberlain (forefront/center) with Adolf Hitler (far left).

After Chamberlain's return to England, Winston Churchill famously scolded him by saying: "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war." 

Churchill was right.

Chamberlain's appeasement strategy was well-intentioned—Europeans were understandably loathe to incite a fight after enduring the horrors of the Great War just one generation earlier. Nevertheless, history has judged Chamberlain dishonorably and war indeed came to Europe... in a fashion twice as devastating as the previous world war he trying to avoid replicating.  

For this—and other historical instances like it—Freedom Focused recalls Winston Churchill's warnings of the 1930s and ECHO'S them clearly and distinctly to all Western Leaders in the 2020s. Appeasing Putin and Xi will only further imperil the very PEACE you are trying to protect.

This geopolitical caveat is not complicated. It is something even kindergartners must learn on the playground: if you don't stand up to bullies, bullies feel empowered to continue (and extend) their bullying.

That's just the way things are in this war-weary world of wayfaring woe.   

I learned this lesson myself in middle school, and my life forever took an empowered trajectory toward greater confidence and peace because I chose to stand up to my bully. Fortunately, I was able to solve things diplomatically (through my parents and school administrators). Obviously, diplomatic solutions should always be exhausted before resorting to brute force. But, if a bully will not respond to any other stimulus, force is (sadly) necessary to terminate the bullying and ensure the peace moving forward.  

Last Friday signaled the beginning of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Sadly, the global harmony that has often marked Olympic Games in the past seems like a distant memory, as these games have been badly stained and soured not only by Russia's aggressive behavior against Ukraine, but also by a variety of human right's abuses coming out of mainland China; and that is to say nothing of the CCP's (China's Communist Party) ongoing military buildup in the South China Sea and the looming threat of a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan. Highlighting these ominous events was China's Xi Xinping and Russian's Vladimir Putin's much publicized meeting the day of the Opening Ceremonies, aimed at further solidifying their own alliance while amping up their united rhetoric against the West.

Make no mistake, Putin and Xi have their eyes and hearts set on commandeering their weaker neighbors just as surely as Adolf Hitler and Emporor Hirohito had their eyes and hearts set on Europe and Southeast Asia in the 1930s. Both are driven by historical legacies that affirm global hegemony for both the Russian and Chinese nations and peoples. After all, what did Vladimir Putin label "the worst geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th Century"? Answer: the Fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Ever since that famous fall from power, Putin's every thought, word, and action has been channeled toward one, focused objective: right that perceived wrong by re-establishing the lost legacy of Soviet dominance in the East—and beyond.  

It is worth noting—and vital to remember—that the calamities of 1914 and 1939 did not begin in 1914 and 1939. The Great War's roots stemmed back nearly half-a century to France's defeat in the Franco Prussian War in 1870-71, and Germany's subsequent unification, advancement, and armament.

Nazi flag flies over Paris in 1940

Likewise, long before Adolf Hitler had any power or influence in Germany, the seeds of World War II were planted the moment the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918—in French General Ferdinand Foch's personal railway car. Less than 22 years later, Adolf Hitler would receive the surrendering French leaders in the exact same railway car following the fall of Paris to the Nazis. It was the perfect revenge for the former German Corporal who felt "stabbed in the back" by his own nation's leaders and was rancorously bitter about Germany's defeat in World War I. 

The roots of the current crisis go back to China's humiliation by Japan in World War II, and more recently, to the fall of the Soviet Union and the dismemberment of its 15 satellite nations, of which Ukraine is one, in the early 1990s.  

Anyone who follows geopolitics knows that China—and to a lesser extent, Russia—has been modernizing and strengthening their military for many years now (much like Germany in the final quarter of the nineteenth century and then Japan and Germany [again] throughout the 1930s). Moreover, Putin's incursions into Georgia and his outright annexation of Crimea in the last decade remain a fresh memory in the minds of the geopolitically-informed. 

As much as virtually everyone throughout Western Civilization would like to avoid another global military crisis on par with the First and Second World Wars, the indelible pages of history paint an ominous picture of unfolding events, which are so strikingly portentous of crises to come. 

In the SAL Textbook, I touch briefly on a subject known as the "Crisis of 2020," which is a term employed by generational scholars William Strauss and Neil Howe* to describe an impeding worldwide calamity that they predicted (back in the early 1990s) will occur in years surrounding the year 2020.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke in March of 2020, it seemed evident that we now knew just what the "Crisis of 2020" would entail. But... is it possible the pandemic is really just a relatively mild precursor (a warm-up or opener of sorts) to the main act, which is still yet to play out in coming years as the buildup of Chinese and Russian power and aggression finally comes to a head?

We don't know the answer to this question... yet.

Like the original 13 Colonies in their fight against the British in the
18th Century, Western Nations must ally themselves together in the
fight against Communism & Tyranny in the 21st Century.

But this much we do know: if Western Civilization—and the principles and values of democracy it claims to cherish and champion—is to prevail in the face of this newest threat to individual liberty, personal freedom, and government of the people, by the people, and for the people,* then we better be prepared to abandon the divisiveness that has so cancerously cankered our politics in recent decades. We do not know for certain what the future will bring. But this much we do know: when confronted by any serious foe, be it internal or external, we must, in the words of Benjamin Franklin: all hang together, or many of us will undoubtedly hang separately.  

In 1860, a political outsider and prairie lawyer named Abraham Lincoln became his party's unlikely nominee and victor of the U.S. Presidency after building his campaign on the universal principle and premise that, "A House divided against itself cannot stand." Lincoln was right then, and his rightness (and righteousness) steered our nation through our greatest crisis, maintained our Union, and brought liberty to the captive souls of four million enslaved persons. We would do well now to embrace the same aphorism—which originates in none other than The Good Book—as a panacea to the divisions that have so deeply fractured our nation.  

Click HERE to buy a copy of Generations

According to Strauss and Howe:

"We project ... the Crisis of 2020 [will last] ... from 2020 to 2029. ... [It] will be a major turning point in American history and an adrenaline-filled moment of trial. At its climax, Americans will feel that the fate of posterity—for generations to come—hangs in the balance. ... Sacrifices will be asked, and given. America will be implacably resolved to do what needs doing, and fix what needs fixing." (1)

Why is it that Freedom Focused, and by extension, I personally, take so much interest in this subject known as the Crisis of 2020? 

Part of the reason stems from my personal passion for history, current events, and leadership. And part of the reason stems from the fact that I personally was born at the crossroads of two generations (GenX & Millennial) that Strauss and Howe predict will play consequential—and even pivotal—roles in the Crisis of 2020. 

On the one hand, I am one of the youngest members of Generation X (or 13ers, as Strauss and Howe refer to those born between 1961 and1981). According to Strauss and Howe, my generation "will see, and evaluate, the Crisis of 2020 with the sharpest eye of all living generations. [Moreover], by lifecycle position and peer personality, they will have the most capacity for maneuver and can be expected to produce the Crisis era's most colorful leaders and stigmatized traitors—reminiscent of... [Civil War] commanders ... [and] the managers of D-Day ... as well as isolationists and fascists." (2)

On the other hand, I am married to a Millennial (born 1982-2000), and am almost young enough to qualify as one of the eldest Millennials myself. Like the G.I. soldiers of World War II, the Millennial generation will serve as the primary generation combatting whatever horrific realities arise from the Crisis of 2020. Put the two together and those born in the late 1970s or early 1980s are—for better or for worse—destined to play prominent roles in the ensuing drama.

In addition, the Baby Boom generation (born 1943-1960) will assist Generation X as leaders, coaches, mentors, and other vital role-players throughout the crisis. Strauss and Howe underscore the unique contribution that Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers (13-ers) are destined to make, and provide counsel to both generations, as follows:

The West needs LEADERS like Washington & Lincoln for Crises ahead.

"Two generations have especially important roles in the drama ahead ... [as] the vortex of history is inexorably moving toward the Boom and 13th [GenX]. No less is riding on them than once rode on Franklin and Washington, Lincoln and Grant, or Roosevelt and Eisenhower. [In order to meet the challenges of this crisis] Americans must rely on aging Boomers to build a very unyuppielike ethic of community responsibility and principled self-sacrifice. Where[as] their G.I. parents were heroes young, history warns Boomers to expect their greatest test in old age. Similarly, future generations are counting on 13ers [GenX-ers] to graduate from Liar's Poker and mellow into midlife cautionaries, guardians of family life, and protectors against ... excess. ... Just as we are all heirs to ancestors we mostly admire, so too are we all ancestors to heirs whose admiration we should wish to earn ... [a reminder] of our sacred obligation to act as kindly toward the future as ancestral generations once did toward us." (3)

While Strauss and Howe acknowledge the reality that "any crisis with a bad ending could bring unprecedented tragedy" (4) they are ultimately optimistic about Western Civilization's capacity to triumph over whatever crucibles lie ahead. Freedom Focused concurs with this optimistic outlook.

Why?

Because we believe that in the end, goodness, rightness, and TRUTH—in which collective liberty, personal freedom, and existential growth are rooted—always win. Nevertheless, we shudder to think of the individual and collective prices that may have to be paid to claim the ultimate victory for posterity. 

Freedom & Democracy vs. Tyranny & Communism  

Make no mistake: What happens in coming days, months, and years in Ukraine and Taiwan—and beyond—will reverberate around the world for years and even decades to come. And regardless what shape and scope the fight ends up taking, it will pit tyranny against LIBERTY and dictatorships against DEMOCRACIES.

Let it be known here and now, far and wide, that Freedom Focused stands immovably, unshakably, and inviolably in solidarity with democracy and against all forms of tyranny.

As our name suggests, we are eternal supporters of LIBERTY & FREEDOM and forever pursuers of TRUTH... and if necessary, we will defend all three to the death.  

Freedom Focused holds no grudge against, nor do we bear any ill will towards, the Chinese and Russian people (or any of their allies' citizens). Indeed, we believe that most Russians and Chinese individuals are intelligent, industrious, and productive peoples who want to do the right thing. 

However, we stand definitively and unequivocally against any and all imperialistic policy aims fueled by the aggression of their misguided and power-hungry leaders.

We further oppose the communistic and dictatorial forms of government that grant such unbridled authority and power to the few or the one. While we will always remain non-partisan in our message and approach, we will never demure from our strong stance in support of democratic-republicanism and its ideological embrace of collective liberties, personal freedoms, and the supporting TRUTHS rooted in Universal Law that uphold them.    

Freedom Focused stands FOR liberty, freedom, truth, and democracy.

May God Bless the United States of America—and all of Western Civilization in this fight against totalitarianism, tyranny, and aggression, and for liberty, freedom, and truth.

May God further bless Freedom Focused to stand as a beacon of strength upon the defensive watchtower of righteousness and truth for however long said conflict(s) may last.

Lastly, may God bless each one of us to stand up for, speak out in support of, and defend unto the death those principles of Liberty, Freedom, and TRUTH upon which we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.   

—Dr. JJ

February 9, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 251st Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 250 FF Blog Articles.  

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

And if you liked this blog post, please share it with your family, friends, colleagues, and students—and encourage them to sign up to receive future articles for FREE every Wednesday.

To sign up, please email freedomfocused@gmail.com and say SUBSCRIBE, or just YES, and we will ensure you receive a link to each new blog article every Wednesday.  

Click HERE to learn more about Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan Jensen

Click HERE to buy the SAL Textbooks

Notes:

* Final phrase of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

1. Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069. New York, NY: Perennial. Page 382. 

2). Ibid. Page 415.

3). Ibid. Page 427.

4). Ibid. Page 426.

The Age of Authenticism: A Vision of the Future

What does the Future hold for America & the World?

What might America and the world look like in the 2020s, 2030s, and 2040s?

The purpose of our next two articles is to paint a picture full of potential answers to this question by illuminating the possibilities inherent in a futuristic full-flowering of the Age of Authenticism.

These answers are based on collective Freedom Focused research as well as the work of generational scholars and historians William Strauss & Neil Howe.

Click HERE to learn more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM   

In this first article, we will discuss historical examples of character development that can aid our future efforts toward becoming an authentic populous worthy of widespread peace and prosperity.  We will also reiterate the coming challenges that will be the primary catalyst for our nation and world's eventual exit from the period of postmodernism and graduation to the Age of Authenticism. In next week's article we will paint a picture of what the Age of Authenticism might look like once it has fully flourished.  It will provide a visage of what things will look and be like in approximately the year 2035.

Sadly, we are still a ways away from the chronological epicenter of the Age of Authenticism.  Collectively speaking, we have not even crossed the starting point, although many people throughout our nation and world have already entered the stage individually.  While the British Writer, Edward Docx—the originator of the term—suggests 2011 as the official end of Postmodernism and the beginning of the Age of Authenticism, the reality is that it usually takes a while (sometimes many years) for a declared age to begin—not to mention flourish.

Click HERE to read Docx's article pronouncing the Death of Postmodernism and the Beginning of the Age of Authenticism. 

To date, Docx's article has received relatively little attention.  Moreover, to our knowledge, no other scholar or organization has promoted its percipience or its prescience as saliently or enthusiastically as Freedom Focused.  Furthermore, our growing body of work at Freedom Focused on this important subject has been almost entirely ignored to date.

From hedonism and gluttony to narcissism and laziness,
the United States in 2016 is crass, rude, unkept, 
culturally obese, educationally distracted, 
and morally destitute.

This is not surprising.  Why?  Because we are presently mired so thickly and precariously—albeit relatively comfortably—in the clutches of postmodernism and pre-structuralism that there simply isn't a wide-scale demand for Authenticism—at least not yet.  The world is so morally adrift, so structurally unsound, and so metaphysically troubled that there is no coherent majority currently capable of rising above the dismal din of political corruption, social malaise, and outright cultural rot that is stagnating all around us.  If you seek tangible evidence of what I am talking about, just tune into the 2016 United States' Presidential General Election pitting Donald Trump (a crass, lewd, and opportunistic pre-structuralist) against Hillary Clinton (an equally opportunistic, perennially untrustworthy postmodernist).

Politics has been a messy and sometimes dirty process throughout our nation's history; but rarely has it been as polluted as it is right now.  Moreover, while business and free enterprise have always had greedy figures of dubious moral quality stationed at its highest posts, it is arguably as bad as it has ever been, at least in terms of income inequality.  Lastly, while education has been a high priority throughout our nation's impressive educational history; it is sorely lacking at present—not only in terms of falling behind dozens of other countries academically, but in terms of being virtually bankrupt morally and ethically in terms of a largely (if not entirely) absent character education curriculum.

The Esteemed and August General
George Washington
(1732-1799)

George Washington—the President of the Constitutional Convention, the General-in-Chief of America's first major military force, our Nation's first President, and the foremost figure among our Founding Fathers—was a venerable Commander-in-Chief who set a positive, productive example of democratic executive functioning and bearing for future Presidents and Statesmen and Women to follow.

But his unprecedented leadership and sterling moral character were not the results of mere talent, nor were they developed overnight.  The process began when Washington was just a boy.  For example, at the tender age of only 13, Washington penned a comprehensive list of 110 rules he utilized throughout his life in the development of his personal character and interpersonal civility.

These 110 rules range from common manners and the conducting of communication to the very core of his character.  Consider the following examples of his many rules.

Rules for Common Manners

Rule 1.  EVERY Action done in Company ought to be with Some Sign of Respect to those that are Present.

Rule 6.  SLEEP not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop.

Rules for Civic & Other Communications

Rule 22.  Show not yourself glad at the Misfortune of another though he were your enemy.

Rule 48.  WHEREIN you reprove Another be unblameable yourself; for example is more prevalent than Precepts.

Rule 49.  USE no Reproachful language against any one.  Neither Curse nor Revile.

Rule 50. BE not hasty to believe flying Reports to the Disparagement of any.

Rule 56.  ASSOCIATE yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.

Rule 58.  LET your conversation be without Malice or Envy....

Rule 73.  THINK before you Speak.  Pronounce not imperfectly nor bring out your Words too hastily, but orderly and Distinctly.

Rule 82.  UNDERTAKE not what you cannot Perform, but be Careful to keep your Promise

"That Little Spark of Celestial fire called Conscience"

Rules for the Core Development of One's Character

Rule 108.  WHEN you Speak of God or his Attributes, let it be Seriously & [with] Reverence.  Honour & obey your Natural Parents [even if] they be Poor.

Rule 109.  LET your Recreations be Manful not Sinful.

Rule 110.  LABOR to keep alive in your breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire called Conscience. [1]

Wherever George Washington's spirit presently resides, he must be shaking his head in disgust and concern at the rife incivility, rampant immorality, and inauthentic hullabaloo that has so saturated our postmodern culture.  Imagine how the affairs of people everywhere would be different if we all (and especially our so-called leaders) heeded Washington's advice about manners, communication, and character.

George Washington, in addition to many of our other esteemed Founding Fathers and Mothers, was an authenticist of the first and highest order.  He was not perfect—no one is.  Nonetheless, he is a sterling example of an imperfect human being who strived—however imperfectly—to attain unto higher levels of personal character, polish, and perfection throughout his life.  Washington was very much A Happy Warrior of Wordsworthian quality and spirit.  Click HERE to read William Wordsworth's The Character of the Happy Warrior.   He was a noble figure of Authenticism to which we can all look up to, admire, and confidently model aspects of our own lives after.

Click HERE to read all of Washington's 110 Rules of Civility 

Benjamin Franklin
America's Greatest Renaissance Man
The "Poor Richard's Almanack" Image
1706-1791

Imagine a future world where the majority of our nation—and other nations—aspired toward an education in, and application of, the kind of manners, communications, and character lionized in Washington's 110 Rules of Civility and other, similar cognitive, behavioral, and ontological constructs such as Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules or Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack.

Our express intention and implicit aspiration at Freedom Focused is to build a society and inspire a culture imbued with the qualities and characteristics of Authenticism.  To accomplish such an ambitious and far-reaching undertaking, we have assembled a comprehensive Theory & Model of self-leadership entitled Self-Action Leadership.  The accompanying textbook: Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom serves as a holistic self-guide that provides a step-by-step pathway leading to individual and organizational character and Existential Growth.

Our long-term goal is to get a copy of Self-Action Leadership into the hands of every person throughout the United States and the rest of the world who desires ontological authenticity and the development of good moral character in his or her life.  We aim to reach civic leaders and servants, corporate leaders and workers, educators and students, parents and families, and individuals everywhere with this message of peace, hope, honor, and prosperity.

We invite you to join this movement today by buying and reading Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.  More importantly, we invite you to carefully study the principles and practices outlined therein, the material of which is the result of 12 years of careful and disciplined reading, observation, study, research, experimentation, writing, and re-writing.

And speaking of prosperity, it is time now to return to our discussion of what the 2030s and 2040s—the projected period of the Age of Authenticism—will look like, feel like, and entail.

A variety of metaphorical storm clouds are
presently on the horizon in America and abroad

First of all, we predict that this welcomed age will not truly begin in a collective sense until the onset of a serious national and/or world crisis that is likely at our doorstep.  "The Crisis of 2020" as generational scholars William Strauss and Neil Howe call it, will resemble preceding crises on par with the Civil War, the Great Depression, or the two previous World Wars.

Whether or not this period will involve a terrorist nuclear strike, an economic depression, a third World War, a Civil-War-esque social upheaval in our own nation, a combination of one or more of these calamities, or something else entirely, we cannot know for sure.  However, based on Strauss and & Howe's detailed generational scholarship, it is highly likely that a period of unusual struggle and suffering is pending and perhaps upon our very doorstep [2].

While our nation's "Ship" is badly damaged and will
get worse in coming years, we are confident
it will not sink entirely.

According to Strauss and Howe:

"The Crisis of 2020 will be a major turning point in American history and an adrenaline-filled moment of trial.  At its climax, America will feel that the fate of posterity—for generations to come—hangs in the balance. ... This crisis will be a pivotal moment in the lifecycles of all generations alive at the time" [3]. 

Thankfully, Strauss and Howe are optimistic that we as Americans possess both the capability and resolve to successfully overcome whatever challenges we will face in this period of grave trial.  In their predictive words:

"The sense of community will be omnipresent.  Moral order will be unquestioned with 'rights' and 'wrongs' crisply defined and obeyed.  Sacrifices will be asked, and given.  America will be implacably resolved to do what needs doing, and fix what needs fixing" [3]. 

As much as we'd like to think the Age of Authenticism will be produced by the incisiveness of our writing and the thoughtfulness of our pedagogical and practical constructs, this will not be the case.  Indeed, Freedom Focused will not produce the Age of Authenticism, but we will define and inform it.  The age itself will be brought on by whatever adversity and destruction accompanies the "Crisis of 2020" and other deep challenges which will, by the force of Nature itself, coerce collective society in America and beyond to finally begin looking inward to solve the profound problems in which we are already deeply mired.

When enough powder is
backed up, all it takes is
a few small sparks to
ignite a cataclysmic
explosion

Like the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, which produced the spark that exploded into the Great War in 1914, it may be only a minor spark that enflames this future conflict(s).  No one knows when this spark will be ignited.  All we know is that all signs are pointing towards the steady buildup of a powder keg the likes of which the world has never before seen.  This buildup will likely continue for several more years before it explodes.  When the spark finally does ignite the powder keg, the explosion will be disastrous and unprecedented.  Moreover, it will further ignite a chain reaction of other kegs that have likewise been filling up with powder for years and decades—dating back to the end of World War II in some cases, and dating back thousands of years culturally in other cases.

This trial-by-fire is going to be ugly.  It will compel the citizenry of the United States—and the peace-loving countries around the world—to humble themselves before principle and alter their practices in a desperation that can only come in a heightened external crisis.

Leaders of events during this terribly tumultuous time period will be those who had already paid the price to become authenticists prior to the onset of the calamity.  In virtually every age and society throughout world history, there have almost always been at least some authentic, principle-centered, leaders of circumspect character.  These leaders humble themselves not because circumstances require them to do so, but because they are compelled by the power of principles themselves.  At Freedom Focused, we aspire towards being the kind of principle-centered human beings that are ready to lead when the call comes.  It is our ardent wish to be the kind of people that humble themselves before the God of principle rather than being compelled to be humble by the god of illness, war, natural disaster, or manmade calamity.

Approximately 10% (or less) of any given population will usually rank among this highly authentic, anomalous milieu of good leaders.

Another 5% (or so) of any given population will usually rank in polar contrast to the 10% of authentic leaders.  This highly inauthentic, nefarious milieu will include those persons who are intentionally devious or even downright evil.

These fiends are the leaders of whatever dark forces seek to destroy and conquer during periods of conflict (e.g. Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, etc. and their higher ranking subordinates).

The remaining 85% of any given population will flock to banners and hearken to the precepts of either the good (on average approximately 55%) or bad (on average approximately 35%) leaders.  The morality of the leadership and the strength of their supporting armies (literal or metaphorical) will ultimately determine the victor.  I use the word "approximately" intentionally because history has proven that good can overcome evil if "good men [and women] do nothing."  On the other hand, there have likewise been times when good leadership and their accompanying followers have dominated an organization, culture, nation, etc.  As such, these numbers are not meant to designate every group; rather, they are intended to constitute the mean of all groups throughout history.

To illustrate this principle with a specific example from history, consider the results of World War II.  The Allies ultimately defeated the Axis powers during World War II because the Allies were pursuing the morally circumspect cause and they had more human and other resources to fight the battle.  Hitler and his minions were not only pursuing an evil course of unjust conquest; in the end, they were vastly outmanned and outgunned as well—much like the pie graph above suggests.

Whatever trials are to come will ultimately end according to predictable variables.  Whoever has the higher moral ground and larger armies with bigger guns (literal or metaphorical) will win the conflict.  Because of America and the Occident's historical moral high ground and military might, we at Freedom Focused believe the Western Powers will prove victorious once again—if they do not destroy themselves from within first.

Assuming this optimistic outlook proves accurate, we believe that all four generations taking part in this unprecedented national or worldwide calamity (Silent, Baby Boomer, X, and Y) will be sufficiently humbled to produce a subsequent generation of two-decades or so (give or take several years) that will be marked by a full-flourishing of the Age of Authenticism which we have written about at such great lengths in recent months.

This period will begin in the 2020s during the height, resolution, and aftermath of the "Crisis of 2020."  It will further flourish in the 2030s, where it will hit its peak.  It may also extend well into the 2040s.  By that point, however, younger members of Generation Z (also referred to as the iGeneration, Plurals, or the Homeland Generation, with birth years in late 20th and early 21st century) will likely have begun a predictable, collective descent into the next phase of postmodernism as the cycles of history continue to wheel themselves on indefinitely until the ending of this world as we know it—whenever that may occur.

At Freedom Focused, we are not presently concerned with what comes after the Age of Authenticism, although in 20-30 years we will start focusing a great deal thereon.  Our present focus is on offering our services in preparation to win the coming conflict and then help build a new period in the United States and throughout the world that we predict may rank among the most peaceful and prosperous eras in all of human history.

In next week's post, we will paint a specific, predictive picture of what life will look like in America and beyond at the epicenter or height of this magnificent era to which we may all look gloriously forward to in wondrous anticipation.  This picture will illuminate the year 2035—give or take a few years.

Notes: 

1. Washington, G. (Toner, J.M., MD, Ed.). 1888. Washington's Rules of Civility: And Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.  A Paper Found Among the Early Writings of George Washington.  W.H. Morrison: Washington D.C.  Note: Quotes are reprinted using modern spellings and slightly altered punctuation to improve syntactical flow.  

2. For more information on Strauss & Howe's percipient perspectives on the future based on their historical and generational scholarship, please check any number of their books on the subject, such as Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584-2069 and The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous With Destiny.

3. Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584-2069.   Quill: New York, NY. Page 382. (p. 382).

God Bless the United States of America—a blessed land of promise—now, and always.

Click HERE to buy a copy of Dr. Jordan Jensen's new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

........................................................................................................................................................

SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is the key catalyst for initiating transformational leadership that lasts in any organization. The truth of the matter really is that simple; and the transformation of organizations through the holistic development of individuals really is that difficult—yet altogether possible for anyone willing to invest the time, effort, and sacrifice required to achieve authentic, transformational results.

Unlike any training program that has ever preceded it, Self-Action Leadership provides a single vehicle wherewith individual self-leaders can discover—and then act—upon the great truth that HOLISTIC personal development and growth spanning the mental, moral, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social elements of our individual natures is within the grasp of each one of us.

Note: Freedom Focused is a non-partisan, for-profit, educational corporation. As such, we do not endorse or embrace political figures. We do, however, comment from time-to-time on historical or political events that provide pedagogical backdrops to illuminating principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.


To receive weekly articles from Freedom Focused & Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, sign up with your e-mail address in the white box on the right side of this page where it says "Follow by E-mail."


Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership, and to review what experts in the leadership field are saying about this groundbreaking new personal development handbook.


Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan R. Jensen.

Click HERE to visit the Freedom Focused website.