Where is My Flying Car?

Boomer. That’s what they call me. That’s what I am. Boomer, as in Baby Boomer. A Boomer is somebody who was born between 1946 and 1964. I’m a late Boomer, on the younger end of the scale, but a Boomer nonetheless. My name screams Boomer. Boomer, as in, ok Boomer.

We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

As Boomers, we are known to be on the uninformed side of things when it comes to culture and technology specifically. We run behind the curve when it comes to cool! As a rule, we are late adopters, but it’s not that we don’t want to know. We just don’t know. Almost every day that I talk to one of my ten year old grandsons they use a word or term that is unfamiliar. It’s not that I don’t want to know. I just don’t know.

The Jetsons

Two times this week I heard a Boomer say, “Where is my flying car?” It comes up in the context of fossil fuels, gas prices, and electric vehicles. We thought we would have flying cars by now, because of the Jetsons. The Jetsons premiered in September of 1962. It was reprised in the 80’s. It contains a well known theme song and has maintained it’s popularity and cultural influence over the last six decades. According to a recent article in PC Magazine there are at least five things that the Jetsons have gotten right. They predicted video calls, personal assistants, smart watches, food printing, and space tourism. So, where is my flying car? Well the Jetsons was actually set in 2062. We will have 40 years to get there. Most Boomers will never see them even if they become a reality.

Truth

The truth is we struggle to keep pace with the technology that currently exists. Only 1% of Boomers own electric cars. We may get there eventually, but we’ll show up late. Meanwhile, Millennials and Gen Z will remind us that we are late to the party.

One More Thing

Boomers are leaving the church. Boomers have left the church. They are not coming back. Boomers spearheaded the megachurch movement. They gathered, gave, and served and they’re done. In this case, they do know. They know that the church of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. Boomers understand their need for a real connection. They know that they need to give their life to something. They know what they know, but they are done. There are many reasons that they have left. We may get into that another time. Right now. No flying cars. No church. Ok, Boomer.