Five Generations at Work

Harvard Review has over looked one thing the farmer has worked as a family unit for centuries. I am sure at one time 5 generations have worked side by side.

Don't remember Great Granddad ever retiring.

Five generation is pushing it great great granddad would have to be in his 90's that's if there is 18 yr generation gap.

But if your southern Hill Billie its only 12 -14 years. And some folks will represent multiple generational standings. Uncle/Brother, Grandpa/dad, and so on.

I think most know how that works.

A couple of my cousins made it the honest way into the 5 generation spread in my family though. But both ends if the generation spread where in diapers and neither could walk as well.

Maybe that's the problem too much interbreeding in the folks at Harvard.

Amen!

Thank you for perpetuating the ridiculous notion that Southerners and Hillbillys are lesser human beings. If you know a Southerner or Hillbilly that is 12 years younger than either of their parents, then perhaps you have the right to make a comment. Otherwise, why don't you shut the hell up?

Hello TcmTech,

Correction! Because it's your family, close or not, they are honest, and they made to the fifth generation. I have questions about honest ways to arrive to that point. No one on the line passed a night with someone else? For sure of the opposite sex. Come on! No one told a little lie about the repeated absences? Please, we all are adults here and we understand there is "honest" and "unhonest" way to do things and tell stories. Only these two ways is working! There is no one in the middle or in between. Also, you can see that I mentionned: "things" and "tells", because we can do one thing and tell something else about it. Again, nothing is in between!

About diapers, I want to tell: There is one thing in the middle! Sorry, but we found something new! Conficius, the Chinese philosopher, teach me that "everything is on one side or the other, and nothing and never in between". I call him and tell him to revise the "theory of two sides". And I propose to promote your name for the introduction of a new principle of life! You are good! Keep it that way, Gil.

I have no idea what you just said.

What my family had was my Great Grandmother, Her daughter (my grandma), Her daughter(my aunt), her two daughters(my cousins) then their two Babies.

My count says that was 5 generations all alive at once the old fashioned way. Great Grandma had a diaper and couldn't walk any longer and the two babies had diapers and couldn't walk either.

The rest you said about honesty and one side or another is to cryptic for me to catch.

As far as the southern Hill Billy's go. Well they earned that reputation and stereo type some how! And it was created long before I ever existed so you cant blame me for it!

And for those that think that when someone mentions Hill Billy's they are talking about you well that sort of your problem as to why you would think that they are referring to you in specific now isn't it?

Hi Tcmtech,

Thanks for reading my comment.

In the whole world, we have youngs start to work at 7 or 8 years old age. Think about the Vietnamese youngs after the war, they have to eat and work to live or just survive.

At the other end, E.W. Deming was active in front of seminar's people after 90s or Linus Pauling give an hour walking conversation to a reporter at 93.

In the other side, we have people who ask for a buck on the corner of a street and being on welfare for life with our money, with tatoos around the body, smoking, and drinking more than you and me together.

In your family the math is good but I already told you that the world is not you or only around you. When you open the your local newspaper, they have some information about your locality, your state, your country, and finally of the world.

All the best to your "Great Grand Mother", Gil.

Happy New Year Ozzb,

OK, the numbers are off, I agree with you, also farmers life is meeting what you said. However, the subject is interesting and valuable.

I am approaching 72 and I still want to work. I cannot seat down and watch TV, eat chips, and drink some liquids.

I think I have knowledge in the industry I was for over 53 years. I realize that my mobility is reduced by unknown percentage but can walk easily and my brain is very alert, which is the most important. So, I choose to exploit the knowledge at the moment of 65, and I applied to be the sales person in a paint store. I created and made paint for decades. The sales were roughly the same as before but no return on bad colours or errors on finishes. The store owner was happy, and happier when I asked the same salary as the previous guy.

For me wasn't the money, for me was the contact with people, daily activity to handle containers, be organized, suggesting solutions to problems, and accepting a few positive comments after good results.

Today, I have a small shop and make exclusive, niche market products for specific applications. Business is good and want to stay active and exploit my accumulated knowledge, experiences, and be in contact friends still working in the industry or being suppliers or buyers.

Forget age and the number of generations stay and still work. Suggest something to do to people who get the age of retirement but want to be active. I wish the same what I do; I enjoy what I became and use it until I can, Gil.

Hi Gil Happy New year to you.

I was not in argument with their comment of people working longer. More so that they state it as something new.

People in general live longer lives and are more active. Even in old age an active life style is needed and something to occupy one's mind. Retirement should be about doing the things you want to and enjoy.

I hope what you are doing fits into this category.

a generation is 25 years. even at an 18-yr generation, that's still too much.

is this article saying 80 to 125-yr olds are still on the job?

Something divisible by ten....metric hasn't integrated that far.

Happy New Year Bwire,

You are the last blog and no one has the guts or the will to elaborate what will be your future and everyone's future. It's easy to find error in a note but hard to swallow for critics, and add some positive input and to go on.

This is not against you. It's an observstion by reading all comments. There are identical and meaningless about the subject.

To everyone who arrives to the age where a decision to make, extend life or sorten by far: I really wish everyone to make the extention decision as further as possible, Gil.

Hi Langyaw,

You emphasize about numbers. It's not important! Think for a minute. Will you arrive to be one day 80 years old? Every human being ask this question, and you do or will do because we are people with wealth, knowledge, freedom, and we have social and business opportunities, and exploitation of those things are valuable to human.

Wealth can push us to beyond retirement. Knowledge allows us to do things and forget the passing time, we hidenly discover that we are very old. Freedom lets us do things we love and know well, which occupy our time again for long periods. Social and business opportunities let us do things and serve people who need help and we are not able to control time again. Oh, time is the lonely thing we have any control on. It clicks without asking questions but we have to produce all answers.

You can see, Langyaw, reading this comment and you get 5 minutes older. If you have in front of your nose many old smack like me, you can get to the fifth generation as grand/grand/daddy. However, you have to start when you are young and able to achieve what you want to do. Don't forget, first, procreation and the rest after.

Now, you can treat me the way you prefer, I don't be hurt but it's your turn to do something for you and stop to tell others what you want for others. This is an umbalanced situation and you have to change it. I know, "changes" are hard to make but if you need some help, let me know, Gil.

I knew if I looked I'd likely find a thread to post a link to an article about "generations at work." Most threads persist a short while and then go dormant. Rather than post the link in a new thread it seems best to put it in an existing thread that matches the subject well, even though it is dormant now for a couple of years.

I found the link as a reaction to seeing, what seem to me, naive questions on the front page of Ask.com. Some, even dumb. Who decides to make them front page material?

It got me to thinking (again ) about generational differences. This publication by the Ken Blanchard Companies, entitled, "The Next Generation of Workers," about generational issues in the workplace is somewhat lengthy. But appears to be a well organized summation of generational differences we all notice -- members of each generation looking at the other generations around them, and forming generalizations about each. See if you agree with the assessment of your own and the others surveyed. And do you agree with the perspective that management needs to take these differences into account when forming policies, or not as important as it may seem.