We refer to the generation of men and women who were the engine behind winning the Second World War as “The Greatest Generation.” Indeed, their sacrifice was enormous, and we live today in a better world because of them.

Al Gore spoke about them in late April at a screening of his new movie about global warming:

Few generations have the opportunity to have a shared moral purpose. A focus that is worthy enough to empower us to put aside more of the bitterness and bickering that we are vulnerable to getting bound up in and lost in. The generation of my parents was called “The Greatest Generation” because they had such a moral challenge from fascism in the Pacific and the Atlantic. They rose to meet that challenge successfully. And here’s what happened. When they did they gained a moral vision and the ability to put in place the Marshall Plan and to convince the taxpayers to pay for it. Seriously. And to launch the United Nations and to lay the foundation for what became fifty years of peace and prosperity. We coasted for a long time. That vision articulated by Omar Graveley for one who said, “It’s time we steered by the light of the stars and not by the lights of each passing ship.” That vision came from the opportunity they had after rising to meet that challenge to see clearly what was happening.

Gore looks out with melancholoy at what could have been had he won the Presidency. At very least we would have seen an attempt to face up to some of the big issues. Instead, we have the utter and contemptible lack of vision and caring that is George W. Bush. I am continually struck by how incompetent he and his administration show themselves to be. Their belief in faith-based Conservative principles is unshaken though reality daily beats down their door.

Many challenges remain. Today’s world is characterised by shortcomings in a range of areas hilighted by the United Nations’ Millenium Development Goals. All 191 member states have signed a declaration that they will achieve these goals by 2015.

The goals outlined are fundamental, and each represents an area most Canadians take for granted. The goals are also achievable with far less resources committed than those being spent on the growth of the global military.

The challenge facing member states is rooted in a general problem we all have when we try to think about issues that take time and ongoing dedication to address. We suffer from an immediate gratification syndrome, both in the selfish behaviour we all exhibit from time to time, but also in the good deeds we do. This syndrome is supported by consumer culture in general, and it appears to be worsening.

The global communications environment means we are all everywhere, all the time, in terms of potential awareness of issues and problems. The SEA Tsunami woke the world’s conscience last year. Unprecedented relief poured in to the ravaged area within days of the water receding. The same is now true of Katrina’s aftermath. We respond well to these events because they are compressed and of limited duration, and the transformational result is very plain and obvious.

The same cannot be said of the problems that inspire the Eight Goals. These problems have developed over time, and it will take time to achieve the desired outcome. But not that much time. Only a decade or so, which is a pittance in World Time, but an enormous amount of time in the frame of our instant gratification mentality.

The Next Great Generation will be the one who breaks from this mentality and embraces the long term challenges facing global society. I am 42 years old. My generation is not yet that generation, and soon it will be too late for us.