Things to Come: A Live Overview

On December 7th, 2023, Bill Whittle was invited to give the keynote speech at the Holiday Dinner for the American Freedom Alliance. In this 48 minute, unscripted speech, he develops in greater detail many of the themes that will be developed in the "Things To Come" section at BillWhittle.com.

In this video, he discusses the Strauss–Howe generational theory as described in Wikipedia:

"...devised by William Strauss and Neil Howe, describes a theorized recurring generation cycle in American history and Western history. According to the theory, historical events are associated with recurring generational personas (archetypes).
Each generational persona unleashes a new era (called a turning) lasting around 20–25 years, in which a new social, political, and economic climate (mood) exists. They are part of a larger cyclical "saeculum" (a long human life, which usually spans between 80 and 100 years, although some saecula have lasted longer). The theory states that a crisis recurs in American history after every saeculum, which is followed by a recovery (high). During this recovery, institutions and communitarian values are strong.

Ultimately, succeeding generational archetypes attack and weaken institutions in the name of autonomy and individualism, which eventually creates a tumultuous political environment that ripens conditions for another crisis..."

I have been hearing more about "The Fourth Turning" with each passing day. And each day, it seems like more and more people are becoming aware of this theory. I purchased the book, and it is a little dense, but I have been able to grasp it at a high level.

Bill Whittle is someone I greatly admire and I am of the opinion that he is one of the foremost conservative voices today. Back in 2012, after the Presidential election, Bill Whittle correctly predicted that the next President would be a Republican, he would not be a product of the political culture, and would be elected from the popular culture. Pretty good prediction.

This 48 minute nearly extemporaneous speech is remarkable, and displays his down-to-earth intellect and ability to convey complex ideas in a straightforward and relatable way. In this case, his gift is apparent in describing the Strauss–Howe generational theory, and how it relates to what we are seeing today.

In the Strauss–Howe generational theory, there are four cycles spanning approximately 80 years (each cycle known as "turnings".

The turnings are named: "The High", "The Awakening", "The Unraveling" and "The Crisis".

According to the theory, the first turning in American History was the American Revolution. 80 years later, it was the Civil war. 80 years after the Civil War were the 1940's and 80 years following that is the Fourth Turning, which in this cycle is "The Crisis", scheduled to arrive in the 2020's.

Bill Whittle is careful to point out that this crisis doesn't have to be (and in this case, likely won't be) a war.

His prediction is that in this Fourth Turning, "The Crisis" will be "The Lawless" versus "The Law Abiding" and he explains why.

According to the Strauss–Howe generational theory, there are three ways of looking at history: "Chaotic History" (Pre-Western view) "Linear History" (The current Western view) and Cyclical History (The Strauss–Howe generational theory) and that 80 year cycle is not derived from simply looking at events in history, it has to do with the life cycle of humans, and how generations overlap and change.

For example, the generation of today has actual, real contact only as far back as people who lived through the first people in this cycle, known as "The GI Generation". Human lifetimes limit it to four cycles.

48 minute videos are a tough sell to anyone, but if you want to learn and be both entertained and encouraged by his views on this, I highly recommend it.

Here again is the link if you wish to watch: LINK: "Things to Come: A Live Overview" by Bill Whittle

That was my initial thought too, but I suspect it may be a matter of finding a “happy balance” in this.

I admit, the book is a tough slog for me, but I very much appreciated Bill Whittle’s interpretation. There is a lot there that resonates with me. Though, weirdly, since the book was written back in 1997, it makes reference to things as they were back then.

For me, it is a theory I am paying closer attention to because I can’t find much hopeful in other “explanations”. At least this one has the potential of being a cyclical phase, which means after we pass through a fire, there could be good times for us.

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