As it is with
Turnings, there are four generational archetypes. Each archetype has
their own common characteristics. These characteristics are found
from the majority of each generation. Each generation lasts about a
one phase of life. All these archetypes arrive always in the same
order. Each archetype has its own way of reacting to events in
different phases of life. These phases of life start from childhood,
moves through young adulthood to midlife, and ends in elderhood. One
can also add late elderhood for the fifth phase, but it is irrelevant
in this context. There are not enough people in late elderhood to
have a significant effect on events in the world. Each archetype in
each phase of life has a different effect on other archetypes. These
effects are guided by the long-term cycle with four Turnings.
Childhood is a
time for growing, learning, and approving the need for protection
from older generations. The social role of children hasn´t really
changed in the last decades, even though technology and medicine have
improved significantly. When the childhood ends, young adulthood
begins. In this phase of life, it is time to transform ideas and
dreams into projects and plans. It is also time for building a career
and starting a family. Midlife is a time for conserving lifestyle,
and transferring dreams and ideas into reality. Guiding younger
generations is one of the most important tasks at this phase of life.
Most people also start realizing their aging and start seeing signs
of their transformation towards elderhood. Most people die in this
fourth phase of life. This is the time when you can stop caring about
your duty towards the society and finish your career.
There is a
contradiction to consider, when you think about how the generations
are formed. History makes the generations and generations make
history. It is not easy to define the generations when new children
are born so much every second. So the question is how do you define
the generations? First, you need to define the length of each
generation. A generation is a group of people who have been born in
the same time in history. This time has the approximate length of one
phase of life which is around twenty years. One generation has seen
the same events at the same time. Second, majority of the generation
have similar beliefs about families, gender roles, institutions,
politics, religion and future. And majority of them react the same
way for the same events. Any individual can still have his own ways
of believing and reacting. Third, they have a sense of belonging to a
certain generation. For example, Millennials feel they belong to
their own group of people. Each generation has also its own
biography.
Different archetypes
Prophets are
born and raised during a High. They come of age as a narcissistic
young adults during an Awakening. When they are in midlife, they
cultivate their moral principles during an Unraveling and they become
wise gray champions during a Crisis. During this fourth Turning,
leaders are usually Prophets. They guide younger generation to a
great victory or catastrophe. Other archetypes see them as
narcissistic, arrogant, and ruthless. They are principally endowed
towards vision, values, and religion. Prophets have the greatest
Effect on Heroes, and vice versa. The reason for this is that when
Prophets are in midlife, Heroes are in childhood, and vice versa.
Some of the Prophets that had big effects on people in history were,
Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt. The best
known Prophet today is probably Donald Trump.
Nomads are
born and have a liberal upbringing during an Awakening. During an
Unraveling, they become marginalized from the society when they are
in young adulthood. Their actions are pragmatic during a Crisis in
midlife and they accept their destiny as ignored elders during a
High. During this Turning, their efforts and actions during a Crisis
are forgotten. Some of them are even humiliated with a lack of
respect from younger generations, even though they were the most
important generation for the victory during the last Turning. Other
archetypes see them as practical, cultureless, and amoral. They are
principally endowed towards freedom, survival, and honor. Nomads have
the biggest effect on Artists, and vice versa. Some of the Nomads
that had big effects on people in history were George Washington,
Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight Eisenhower. The best known Nomad today
is probably Barach Obama.
Heroes are
born and protected during an Unraveling. They have a role as
cooperative young adults for solving a Crisis. They are then guided
by some Prophets and middle-aged Nomads for getting the best possible
result from the Crisis. During a High, they are arrogant middle-aged
people and during an Awakening, they are strong and effective elders.
Other archetypes see them as selfless, capable and mechanistic. They
are principally endowed towards community, technology, and
prosperity. Heroes have the biggest effect on Prophets, and vice
versa. Some of the Heroes that had big effects on people in history
were Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. Most known
Hero today is probably Mark Zuckerberg.
Artists are
born as overprotected children during a Crisis and they are senstive
yound adults during a High. They function as undecided middle-aged
leaders during an Awakening and are emphatic elders during an
Unraveling. Others archetypes see them as open-minded, emotional and
undecided. They are principally endowed towards competence, due
process, and pluralism. Artists have the biggest effect on Nomads,
and vice versa. Some of the Artists that had big effects on people in
history were Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Colin Powell.
The best known Artist today is probably Warren Buffett.
Next
week, I will publish a text about an ongoing Crisis. Until then,
-TT
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