CheesyBo, If you were young in the 60s-70s, then you are my contemporary. And I often find myself pondering how different my perspective is on a whole bunch of stuff precisely because I have so much memory (I'm 65). So I kind of chuckle to myself when I look down on my millenium students who are tethered to their cell phones, and I remember that I'm getting old, so of course I can't relate to what's important to a 20 year old today--in the same way that the old squares couldn't relate to us hippies back in the day. Indeed, they were appalled by us, I think in much the same way that I'm appalled by cell phone co-dependency today.
But I don't want to be one of those old farts who complains about how shitty everything is these days.
And Blickberry I agree with you: mother nature keeps me going and believing that extraordinary occurances are all around me: the praying mantis who takes up residence in my garden, the blooming clematis, the hushed lullabye of the rain, mother nature holds me and keeps me safe in spite of all the silly human insanity.