The #GenX generation, by its archetypal nature and location in history, is an under-protected, under-acknowledged and under-appreciated generation. And that’s okay. Gen Xers are a survivalist generation more focused on, well, survival, the physical world and their small band of tribe than they are on government, the collective and teams.
They are also the “dirty jobs” generation. The do-what-must-be-done generation. And the really-no-thanks-no-reward-required generation. They’re tough, gritty and capable. They’re resolute, fierce and honor-bound.
Let us remember, as we reflect back on 9/11, who it was who entered those flaming towers. Who went IN when everyone was coming out. GenXers were 20 to 40 years old in 2001. While older midlife Boomers were many of the corporate CEOs, elected leaders and people in charge of bigger, strategic visions and decisions, the young adult Xers were the ones with their boots on the ground, masks on, going into burning buildings, some to face their deaths that day … others to wither and die in the months and years after, their bodies unable to cope with the intense chemical fumes from the fires, or the PTSD of what they experienced.
So, while we remember the heroes that day and those who died, let us also remember, hands down, it was Xers who were the front-line heroes. The ones who sacrificed. The ones who did what must be done, as they did then and always do in a crisis.
