It's definitely true that every generation faces its own trials and challenges! I don't mean to minimize that. But, I'm referring specifically to the context in which we're entering midlife. Boomers mostly entered midlife in the late 80s and 90s. They were seeing the Year of the Woman, a booming economy, the end of the Cold War, etc. There was a sense of progress, rather than a sense of decline. It's a very different time in which to be asking those midlife questions about the purpose of life.