I have been musing / feeling my way about this for a long time. And it’s becoming clearer to me. The difference between the 20th century and the 21st is the difference between Sacrifice and Joy. There was truly a millennial shift at Y2K.
The Western world had been all about Sacrifice for centuries. The message, especially for women, was about giving yourself up for others, as the christ had done for all of us sinful creatures, as we were told. Soldiers and women had those ideas repeatedly forced into their brains. Guys overall never did really take to it quite so well.
But now, the generation called the Millennials just simply doesn’t respond to those cues – and there are many of us of previous generations who also aren’t stuck there any more. Joy is our trigger.
One overall belief statement will let you know you’re talking to one of the Future rather than one of the Past: Ask someone what they feel is the best way to heal / fix / change the world and solve its problems. If the answer is that taking the best care I can of myself, helping myself be the best I can be, will make the world a better place, you know you’re not talking to a being of Suffering, but a being of Joy.
While you’re at it, notice how relaxed and energized they are – not really a contradiction at all. And then about which side of that divide you’d rather be on.