No matter your politics, as a citizen of the world and a product of history, you must recognize that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are pivotal moments in our age that will have repercussions for decades to come.
Although my knowledge of the situation on the ground in these countries is patched together through futuristic military recruitment commercials and “The Hurt Locker,” it is clear that both wars will not only continue to have an effect on the current generation in power but will also color all aspects of life for our generation as we move forward and take the reins of society.
By our generation, I mean those people from roughly their late teens to their early 30s, the generation that has embraced technology, grown more connected to society because of it and eventually has evolved into a people constantly striving for something new, different and bizarre (the so-called “Lady Gaga principle”).
However, beyond today’s popular culture and the events that currently shape our daily lives, I see a growing disconnect that stems from the continuation and expansion of these two wars. With the wars continuing unabated and tensions mounting over the futures of both conflicts, I feel that the most pressing issue facing us is a social chasm between the young soldiers who are being sent to war and those of us of the same generation who are here at home.
Looking at statistics, the average age of an active duty soldier is 28, and almost half of all soldiers are between the ages of 22 and 30.
When looking at news reports coming out of these countries, I often see that I am the same age as many of these soldiers fighting and dying abroad.
Although support of the troops is a strong American tradition, I can’t help but feel that our generation will grow and split into those who have been touched by the wars and those who have not truly felt its sorrow.
In the past, countless generations of Americans have suffered through war and have successfully reconciled its pain with the comforts of peace.
However, two current factors have the potential to combine and deepen the rift between those in our generation.
First, the explosion of social media and the online community has allowed people to escape not only the turbulence of their daily lives but the struggles of greater society, including these two conflicts.
While this technological revolution has bred a greater power to connect and share ideas, too often this power is diverted and used for socially irresponsible reasons.
Second, given the nature of these conflicts and how they have been branded by those who lead them, the gravity of our situation is often lost on many in the greater society.
Although these facts have been repeated so often they are on the verge of becoming hollow points, we are occupying two different countries and fighting a war that grows increasingly unconventional and infinitely more dangerous by the day.
Yet looking at the climate here at home, these facts are not properly reflected and seem to be lost among many in our generation.
They say that you can never understand war or see it properly until you are in it. This idea, augmented by the factors mentioned above, is the source for what I perceive as a dangerous disconnect in our generation.
But what can we do to close the gap? Turn all farms on Farmville into virtual war gardens? Mandate daily tweets to service members deployed overseas?
Perhaps the only thing we can do is recognize that we are at war and work to anticipate the challenges we will face as a generation going forward.
Joshua Lee is a political sophomore. His column appears every other Wednesday.
