Why you might be feeling like you're stuck hanging upside down on a roller coaster *!#?%
4 generations, 4 phases —— buckle in!
It happens!
And not so long ago!
In June of this year (2024), 28 people got caught hanging 50 feet up in the air, upside down for 28 minutes at Portland, Oregon’s Oaks Amusement Park.
That ride sure lived up to its name: AtmosFEAR! WOW!
Chrisxryan, an oh-so-happened-to-be-there social media micro influencer captured live footage that went viral on major national and international news bureaus.
That was a magical day for a social media poster, LOL!
A not so great day for the 28 people hanging upside down!
I have a deep affection for roller coasters which no doubt can be attributed to my childhood rides (rare treats; special days) on the Giant Dipper, an iconic wooden roller coaster built in 1925. Belmont Park was developed as a part of a real estate lure in the then roaring 20s. It was located beach-side in San Diego, California, in a development named Mission Beach.
By the time I rode the Giant Dipper as a child in the mid-60s, it had been standing for 40 years. It had not lost its grandeur; it was thrilling and exciting.
I have a visceral remembrance of the ride that started with the very first hill.
Click, Click, Click, Click, Click
The mechanism that pulled the coaster carts up the first hill made such a distinct sound that I still recall it today, decades later!
For me, there has always been an oh-so-settling feeling when I think of the circular nature of how roller coasters are designed. At the end, they lure us to want to “go again!” despite the exhilarating cycle of thrills and emotions we felt as the ride moved up, down and all around.
Like roller coasters, the cycles of generations
evolve through a recurring course.
The course can be distinguished over 4 phases. Each phase has a distinct mood that permeates culture and settles over society, but only for a time — much like the seasons. And when the 4 phases have been achieved, the cycle begins again.
We could map it as a circle, an infinity loop, or even a roller coaster track!
The concept of generational phases is a modern concept/perspective—only introduced in the early 1990s by William Strauss and Neil Howe.1 They refer to these phases as Turnings. See the infographic below to get a sense of them. We’ll go deeper in a coming post with more specifics. I’ve added my paraphrased, oversimplified, does-not-even-really-begin-to-describe description in the blue font. [Neil Howe, please forgive me.] 2
[If reading the info text was challenging… just click on the image and it should open in a separate window, much enlarged.]
High, Awakening, Unraveling, Crisis.
Repeat.
Based on your experience in current American culture, can you guess where we are in these phases?
Well, we’ve been experiencing Unraveling for many decades. For most of us, it literally seems like every single thing we’ve relied upon in the past is now breaking down, failing us, unraveling. But since the 2008 Great Financial Crisis and the 2020 Global Pandemic swished across our culture, we have shifted to an even deeper place of concern. Yep, all around us, the tensions have escalated. We feel the tensions within our families, our nation and our world.
We might even feel like we’ve been hanging upside down on a roller coaster for too long!
We’ve entered the time of Crisis.
Backed by Strauss & Howe’s extensive research covering over 400 years of history, generational theory proposes that the crisis will resolve. A new cultural order will emerge.
If we stop time.
If we only focus on today.
It is very likely that fear will rise up.
It is a static way of being. It is how we feel when we get stuck.
🎁 Generational Theory provides many gifts.
. . . here’s one.
Understanding generational progression can give us
an assurance, a sense that things will move in a corrective manner.
Things will get better; there will be better times ahead.
No season remains stagnant.
Each season yields to the coming season.
It is in that, that we know all is well.
Generational awareness will enable us to tune into a dynamic state,
to tune into an awareness of the ever-changing aspects in our lives.
Let’s try it.
Think of any roller coaster that comes to mind.
Are the carts moving? Or still?
Now, imagine they are moving. Notice how, when you add the awareness of movement to the image you see in your mind's eye, it can literally feel energizing. My spirit rises up a bit.
Those of us who are 55 or older were conditioned to literally see our world as static.
Millennials and Gen Z have been conditioned to think and to be in a dynamic, ever-changing state.
I believe this trait—the ability to be more dynamically aware—is a trait that we can build, similar to the way we know we can build muscle/strength.
As we come to know more about generational theory, we will grow in our ability to perceive, to understand and to join into the dynamic world in which we’ve found ourselves.
If you feel stuck in an area of your life, consider how things could shift. You only need to begin to think of one way (any way) that movement can be set in motion. Leaning into the dynamic nature of life is freeing.
As the roller coaster train leaves the station, all connected carts move together—there are tunnels, slow climbs (“chain lift hill” they call it; that’s the click, click, click!), quick drops of the train back down a hill, more climbs, even twisty climbs and of course, “camelback” elements (think of how it feels as we’re approaching the end and there’s more of a gliding up and down, lifting us gently off our seats and back down again) and ending as we round the turn into the station.
Remember… as we come to know more about generational theory,
we will grow in our ability to perceive, to understand and to join into
the dynamic world in which we’ve found ourselves.
Strauss, William and Neil Howe. GENERATIONS The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069. Quill, 1991. See chapter 4: THE FOUR-PART CYCLE
My perspectives on generations have been primarily influenced by the publications of Neil Howe and William Strauss. To dive deeper, consider starting with Neil’s most recent book that is comprehensive plus timely all in one.
Howe, Neil. The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This Crisis Will End. Simon & Schuster, 2023
"Leaning into the dynamic nature of life is freeing." that's a great statement , worth using as an affirmation!
Hi Mo, New reader here. Trying to get my head around the phases and turnings. Is the entire world in the same phase? Are we, as individuals, in our own phase? It definitely feels like the world is in the ‘Crisis’ phase, but I feel like I am in the ‘High” phase in my personal life. Is the timing of the turnings predictable, like the seasons? This is all interesting, I will be reading more, I have so many questions.
Thanks for writing and sharing.