What will endure from this shared era?
When we say someone grew up during the Depression, we're referring to qualities as much as an era: Thrift, resilience, deferred gratification.
Shared hardship changed the country's values.
What will endure from this era? We praise teachers, first responders, doctors, nurses and others -- for what they do and what they represent. Will this fade?
Not if we don't let the praise drop. Not if we commit to a future worthy of their present sacrifice.
"This golden hour should not be wasted" – that's how author Amanda Ripley put it. Golden hour is that perfect moment of light before sunset. In New York this spring, it coincides with the time clapping for health care workers ends. This generation's mission: To preserve the golden hour.