I’m just back home from a one-week Alaskan Cruise. The entertainment
and food were pretty much as advertised—even if there was more of both
than anyone needs. The scenery was lovely, and the ship and crew are
amazing examples of a ‘packaged experience’ intended for everyone to
have a good time. Whew! I had so much fun, I’m exhausted. Well, not
quite… although it is remarkable how much there was to do and how
professional and genuinely friendly everyone was. I’m not complaining.

But what I did find disturbing was that most of the 2,000 or so folks on board didn’t seem to be having a very good time.
Approximately 90% of us are between 60 and 80 years old, somewhat
overweight and not particularly fit. To my surprise, most everyone kept
to themselves as couples. If this were seen as a snapshot of ‘how to
enjoy your retirement years’, I don’t think people would be looking
forward to spending the next 20 years or so in this kind of programmed
‘leisure’.

Admittedly, I’m preoccupied with observing how life seems to be as we
age and the possibilities we have moving forward. But if this cruise is
typical, then thousands and thousands of retirees are paying a ton of
money to be stimulated, pampered and motivated to experience ‘the good
life’. The industry is giving us what they say we say we want. But at
the end of the day, is this really all that what we want? Do we just
want to be spectators on the sidelines of life being ‘entertained’ by
what’s happening? I think not.

I think our age group wants more than orchestrated activities,
comfortable circumstances and market researchers telling us what to
like and how to spend our time and then inundating us with
mass-produced experiences.

I want more.

What seems to be missing here are people being engaged in what they’re
doing—people being passionate and in action. For example, I tried to
provoke an action-oriented conversation over dinner one evening. After
a brisk hour of bashing our political leadership and the state of the
world, I asked the assembled to share what we are doing or could do to
have things change. Silence. The consensus was ‘we’re too old’, ‘too
resigned’ and just too complacent and comfortable to ‘get involved’.
Everyone returned to criticizing this and that.

Okay, so I’m not too surprised. This sort of resignation is all around
us and, in my observation, it’s increasing as our generation ages. I
find myself looking for it and even occasionally wanting to let someone
else handle whatever it is that I think needs doing.

In another conversation along the same theme, we did get into some
‘what if’ scenarios that were pretty interesting. What if we could
engage enough of our peers and others in a new conversation with an
intention to revive a sense of community, personal responsibility,
participation in the political process and a commitment to some
purpose? We all agreed that might precipitate a tipping point, and
create the possibility of transforming what seems to be becoming a
spectator society into one in which our future is being intentionally
created through respectful dialogue and democratic processes. A
possibility of our commitments creating the future,
rather than a future created out of our committing only to what’s left
after we become resigned that we can’t make a difference.

Perhaps the cruise lines could offer expeditions for people who are interested in making a difference…