Today is one of the happiest moments of my life here in the US.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the
United States today, taking office at a moment of profound
economic, health and political crises with a promise to seek unity after
a tumultuous four years that tore at the fabric of American society. Good Bye 4 years of Lies and Poor Leadership!!
This is also the day that Kamala Devi Harris was sworn in as vice president by Justice Sonia Sotomayor.. Ms. Harris’s ascension made her the highest-ranking woman in the history of the United States and the first Black American and first person of South Asian descent to hold the nation’s second highest office.
So as a member of the Silent Generation, I am very proud indeed to be an American with Filipino roots and ancestry. Coming to the US for Graduate School in the 1960's is also one of the happiest and most important decision I made during my 8 Decades and Six years of my life here in Planet Earth.
In my last blog, I discussed the Five generations. Today's blog will focused on the Silent Generation to Group that I am proud to belong. 
In
my last posting I discussed briefly about baby boomers, Generation Y
and Z and the Millennials. In this article, it will be about the Silent
Generation where I belong.
The Silent Generation is the demographic cohort following the Greatest Generation and preceding the baby boomers. The generation is generally defined as people born from 1928 to 1945. By this definition and U.S. Census data, there were 23 million Silents in the United States as of 2019. According to Wikipedia, the common characteristics of this generation are as follows:
The Silent Generation were children of the Great Depression whose parents, having revelled in the highs of the Roaring Twenties, now faced great economic hardship and struggled to provide for their families. Before reaching their teens they shared with their parents the horrors of World War II but through children's eyes. Many lost their fathers or older siblings who were killed in the war. They saw the fall of Nazism and the catastrophic devastation made capable by the nuclear bomb. When the Silent Generation began coming of age after World War II, they were faced with a devastated social order within which they would spend their early adulthood and a new enemy in Communism via the betrayal of post-war agreements and rise of the Soviet Union. Unlike the previous generation who had fought for “changing the system,” the Silent Generation were about “working within the system.” They did this by keeping their heads down and working hard, thus earning themselves the "silent" label. Their attitudes leaned toward not being risk-takers and playing it safe. Fortune magazine's story on the “College Class of ‘49” was subtitled “Taking No Chances."
From their childhood experiences during the Depression and the insistence from their parents to be frugal, they tend to be thrifty and even miserly. They prefer to maximize the property's lifespan, i.e. "get their money's worth." This can lead to hoarding in the guise of "not being wasteful.” In summary:Some of the Common Characteristics of this Generation are as follows:
1. They are hardworking-Consider work as a privilege and the wealthiest generation so far
2. They have willpower-Adversity does not daunt them. They have survived the Great Depression
3. They are loyal Employees-Unlike Gen Y and Gen X workers, most of them stayed in the same employers throughout their working lives
4. They respect authority- Conformity and conservatism are prized and they tend to be good team players
5.
They practice Waste Not, Want Not-Tend to be Thrifty- for example not
trading their cars every few years and do not mind eating food
left-overs
6. They can be Technically Challenged-Dont expect
them to be whiz in operating smartphones and I-pads; may be slow to
change work habits and last to adapt new technology in the work place or
at home
7. They are Traditional- they value old-time morals, safety, security and consistency
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/workplace-characteristics-silent-generation-2164692
Personal Note: As a member of the Silent Generation I strongly agree with Numbers 1,5 and 7 in the List of Common Characteristics above. If you belong to this Age Group do you agree with all the seven Characteristics listed above? Let me hear from you!
Meanwhile enjoy this photo of my recent Xmas gifts.
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