Passing The Baton

Several years ago, my nephew began to regularly beat me in video games, even when I had the higher ranked character. This week I lost another "advantage" over my nephew, who is now 15 years old. I can no longer defeat him in one-on-one basketball. His skill, quickness and strength now exceed mine by a noticeable margin. In sports, I am now a peer, and no longer the uncle he strives to beat. It won't be long before he graduates from high school, attends college, gets a job. I can't believe how fast time has passed. In eight years, he will be in the workforce, replacing those of us that have retired.

In the past, I sometimes regretted seeing those younger than me surpass my skills and accomplishments, because it meant I was "beaten ." However, since retiring in my forties in 2007, I take a more philosophical view on the process. I now realize that progress requires that people keep getting better than those before them. Thus, I look forward to passing the baton and having those younger than me, especially my daughter, do much better than I did. After all, a good baton pass means it will be a better world.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

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