Let’s have a little fun because some of us have a new truth. It appears the Baby Boomers have found their voice. To be fair this may include some of the earlier Gen X folks as well. And when I say “Boomers,” I can already hear Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z muttering from behind their screens: Oh boy. The old people are at it again.
Well… yeah. We are. And we’re not whispering. To be fair, when I was their age, I definitely thought anyone over 60 was halfway to the bingo hall. But here’s the thing: turns out we’re not done. In fact, we may just be getting started.
In the recent federal election, our voice wasn’t just present, it roared. Something shifted. Maybe it’s the stakes. Maybe it’s the steady diet of disinformation. Maybe it’s that we’ve seen what happens when good people stay silent. Whatever it is, we spoke up. Loudly. And proudly.
I’ve always had a voice (just ask anyone who knows me). But this time, something clicked. The filter dropped a notch. Not to be reckless, but to be real. Because this moment in time doesn’t need politeness. It needs purpose.
Now, let’s be fair, many of us already knew our value. We’ve been shaping families, communities, companies, and countries for decades. We raised kids, worked jobs, fought battles, broke barriers. But this is different. There’s a rising awareness that our voice, as a collective is having an impact again. A real one.
And here’s what makes me proud: we’re not doing this out of ego. We’re doing it out of love. For our kids. For our grandkids. For the country we helped build and still believe in.
You hear people say it all the time: “I just don’t want my children or grandchildren growing up in a world like this.” And sure, those visions differ. Some may not vote like I do, or speak like I do, or post like I do. But the common thread is clear: we care about what comes next.
So, how do we do this? Not everyone’s going to join an advocacy group. Not everyone’s going to write long rants (guilty), run for office, or lead a campaign. But we have one giant asset that no one can take from us: life experience. We’ve lived through cycles. We’ve watched history try to repeat. We’ve learned what works and what absolutely doesn’t. And we’re still relevant, damn it.
And here’s something I don’t want us to forget: we are the last generation with direct access to the voices that lived through the Great Depression and the Second World War. Not the economic downturns of the ‘80s or ‘90s, but the actual Great Depression. Not textbook summaries, but stories told across kitchen tables. We had parents or grandparents who fought, or supported those who fought, in a war that shaped the modern world. That kind of lived wisdom, of sacrifice, of resilience, of survival, doesn’t come with a Google search.
And as that direct knowledge fades, the danger is that we stop recognizing what real hardship and fascism actually look like. And yes, there are parts of the world where it’s already happening again.
So if you’re reading this and you’re one of the people I’m talking about, one of us, then let me say it plainly: I’m proud of you. I’m proud of us. And if you’re not a boomer but rather someone who has a parent or grandparent who is, please take a moment. Listen to what they’re saying. Ask them why they’re fighting so hard. You might just hear something that helps make sense of it all.
Because this isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about legacy, not in a name-on-a-building kind of way, but in the deeper sense. Legacy as in: Did I do my part? Did I use what I’ve learned to leave the world a little better than I found it? And maybe most importantly: Did I find my voice? Even if it took me a while? Well, I did. And I’m not alone.
We’ve still got work to do. Letters to write, elections to vote in, grandkids to love fiercely. But make no mistake, we’re not just wise elders sipping tea and knitting sweaters (although we do that too, and beautifully). We’re the generation that wore mini skirts and combat boots. We flew airplanes, rode motorcycles, marched on Parliament Hill, hitchhiked through Europe, and some of us may have raised hell before we raised kids. We’re not just relevant. We’re cool. Arguably cooler than some of the kids who roll their eyes at us on TikTok.
So yeah, we’re Boomers. And we’re not done!
PS The picture of my Dad and I was in an article on my father in the Star Weekly. Some of you may remember that colored magazine published by the Toronto Star and available nationally.
Nancy's Notes 