Viewing Baby Boomers as Spectators Is Just Plain Wrong

What exactly defines a baby boomer today?

We most likely are familiar with the basics. for example that they were born between the 1946 and 1964. We also know that baby boomers have reached a stage in their lives when they are pausing to look back and reflect while they continue to forge ahead. 

Baby boomers are concerned with health and wellness and with having enough financial security for retirement years. Boomers are also very focused on family.

Upon further examination of the original question, one can also analyze today’s baby boomer from a philosophical or sociological perspective, asking "Who are these baby boomers today, and what are they thinking?"

Former President Bill Clinton, himself a baby boomer, once uttered a phrase that could be the thesis statement for this topic when he suggested that perhaps there were more "yesterdays" then "tomorrows."

At that time, it was a profound observation. Bill Clinton often seemed to be emblematic of what and who a baby boomer was and is, and thus the way Clinton is thinking about life may indeed be reflective of what others of his generation are thinking.

It's been my experience that while not all persons born between 1946 and 1964 think alike, there are many common threads that they are likely to share with others of the same generation.

As an example, boomers can be creatures of habit with regard to their past. That is, they tend to like the music of their youth; they can often recall in great detail what they were doing at the time specific historical events occurred.

Many boomers watch sports in the context of the sporting events of their youth.

Furthermore, those born between 1946 and 1964 often follow politics with the perspective of prior candidates and campaigns in history that they actually witnessed.

But do all boomers live in the past?

Personally, I would say not. I believe that baby boomers are using their memories and history to help shape their thoughts about the present.

Many members of the Greatest Generation are living to advanced ages, often leading their children, baby boomers, to take on caregiving roles to help their elderly parents.

Baby boomers are thus learning to evaluate their own lives through the lens of their older relatives who still grace our landscape. Boomers observe members of the previous generation searching, and hopefully finding, the meaning in their lives. Sen. Bob Dole, serves as a great representative of the Greatest Generation.

Sen. Dole likes to go to the World War II memorial, where he enjoys greeting visitors, especially other veterans. But he also does something else resonating with baby boomers: he shares his own life and experiences with younger people, helping to provide an example of a life well lived.

Many born between 1946 and 1964 are at a crossroads. They have muliple experiences from the past to draw upon while forming a game plan for the remainder of their lives. Baby boomers, for the most part, are still making a contribution.

Boomers continue to be intellectually stimulated, and most feel that their past is just but a slice of the pie, with much more left yet to be eaten and enjoyed in the future.Each Baby boomer has to find his or her own path, thinking about how best to spend the time remaining and with whom to spend it.

One thing you can be sure of is that baby boomers are not just sitting on the bench and waiting for the game of life to pass them by.

Rick Bava founded and was CEO of the Bava Group, which became the premier communications consulting firm serving the Fortune 500 community. Bava became known for his popular blog columns "Rick Bava on the Baby Boomer Generation." He is the author of "In Search of the Baby Boomer Generation." For more of his reports, Go Here Now.