There is a story about a family who had a treasure. It had been handed down through several generations. It was a genuine antique vase. It was kept on the mantel in the living room as a special object of enjoyment.
One day when the lady of the house came home, she was greeted by her daughter. The daughter said, "Mamma, you know that vase which you told us has been passed down from generation to generation" Her mother acknowledged that she did in fact know the vase, and her daughter then said, "Mamma, this generation just dropped it."
Let the weight of that lean against you a bit. "This generation dropped it." Our generation has been dropping many things; many of the values, our standards, our attitudes about the public good.