Growing Up in the 50s and 60s

[July 16, 2026]  There was nothing at all like it; not before and not since.  Growing up in the 50s and 60s was like trying to wrestle a pig in a muddy ditch; it’s very personal, dirty, and you’re happy it’s over.  Describing those times is like stepping back into a black-and-white photo of nostalgia.  Yet that raw mix of struggle forged a generation ready to question everything and chase new horizons.

Many have attempted to paint a better picture of those decades, but have come up short. It is reasonable to give them a pass since those times saw some of the most dynamic historic events ever recorded.  Yet, for a few of us, having lived during that era in the rural South, we were insulated from the massive changes happening all over America.

That era tells a story of freedom, revolution, responsibility, and resilience.  It also exposes the underbelly of those times; the self-indulgent, immature, and a pining blindly for the past.

Those decades stood out as a powerful time of expanding individual freedom in America, driven by the Civil Rights movement, counterculture rebels challenging norms, fierce anti-communism, and the dismantling of Jim Crow laws. This shift freed people to chase personal dreams, shed discrimination’s chains, question authority, roar across the country on Easy Rider choppers, or embrace nature by hugging trees—blending hope, rebellion, and cultural upheaval in a time of both progress and turbulence.

We witnessed a massive revolution that reshaped daily life, mixing breakthroughs with unintended consequences. Satellites reached space, humans landed on the moon, the polio vaccine saved millions, jet travel boomed with commercial aviation, the interstate highway system connected the nation, early computers emerged, the birth control pill transformed society, sleek sports cars thrilled drivers, and music exploded into diverse new styles—fueling optimism and accelerating cultural shifts.

The 50s and 60s were a great time to be alive.  We baby boomers lived through that wild mix of turbulence and hope, which forged our generation—bold enough to break the rules and build a better future, yet nostalgic for simpler times.  We thought our future was unlimited, and that it was our destiny.  Let freedom ring, I have a dream, Ich bin ein Berliner, make love not war, and power to the people. We had many idealistic slogans.

These decades were also a time of fear and apprehension.  Bobby Dylan sang that “The times are a-chagrin,” in what some saw as the iconic “anthem of the 1960s.”  Change was good, we thought.  Change would bring about a safer, more peaceful, less tragic world, as we all tipped-toed through the tulips in which people could be free.  That idea would fail, and fail miserably as the Vietnam War surged (“the draft” became a dirty reality) and Communism began its long march throughout Southeast Asia and parts of Latin America.

The American Dream became more attainable with opportunity and innovation and the rising tide of economic development.  A spirit of hope and resilience defined the era, inspiring America’s global leadership and cultural dynamism.  Despite its challenges, it forged a generation built upon a foundation of family values and Christian principles to build a bigger, brighter future.

America is still the place where a kid who grows up poor can still make it.  Loretta Lynn, in her popular country song “A Coal Miner’s Daughter” sang it best:

• Well a lot of things have changed since a way back then
• And it’s so good to be back home again
• Not much left but the floor, nothing lives here anymore
• Except the memory of a coal miner’s daughter

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Please read my books:

1. “55 Rules for a Good Life,” on Amazon (link here).
2. “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).