We only do right after direct/immediate confrontation with massive disaster?  

Yeah...looks like that's truth. Maybe because we have to be reminded what is important in life...When we see the entire material world in "ashes" and we come to grip that we are humans...and that to be alive is all that counts.

The whatever generation is nothing more than a reflection of the one that raised it and inherited conditions. My condolences.

Well I don't think it's the whole truth. Of course we (previous generation) are very important but I am not willing to take whole responsibility. When I was young I was also blaming my parents for everything that went wrong in my life. When I grew up I found out that they were only humans and they did their best (to their ability).Yes they made mistakes, but I made my mistakes too...we are not perfect. Once I stopped blaming them I took responsibility for my own life. That's called adulthood. Problem is that this new generation REFUSE to mature and take responsibility. It is some kind of protest but these prolonged tantrums are not going to help them.
Their great expectations are not met in real world and they can't deal with it as adults.
I admit that we passed one very ugly world on them tho...But much of it was not our making only but probably making of previous generation too. And then also much of it was not in our power as individuals as they are finding out it's not in their power too.
As a society we lost track to humanity or even worse we took wrong track. As we see now, we feel good when our armies "liberate" nations from dictators not even counting the cost for those nations...Those people there died in masses and millions of families are ruined for life. If so, this need to be their choice not ours. Not to mention that our reasons for "liberating" them are questionable.
They (this new generation) is to change the world to their liking but I suppose the task is so big so they are either becoming part of that ugly picture or totally avoid to participate.
Also we / parents can't take responsibility for vicious propaganda, brain washing and wrong messages that they are feeding all of us trough TV and other media.
All we can do is to try to direct them to use their own brain. Not easy task too.
As we are now having this "no choice" democracy one can say that honest thinking people should take part in politics instead of complaining but hell I tried it and it's not working. Political parties have their own dynamic and structures that can't be broken.
So we do what we can. And it's only lately thanks to internet that we can have our voices heard at least among those with similar views. Very rarely some wise people can enter mass media and that's probably just to give us false impression that democracy is working.
We are swimming in the ocean of crap trough the media that is working hard to form "public opinion" to the liking of those in power and it is hurting us as people and also is making our societies deviant.
Family ties are not strong any more in this world of consumerism so I am not so sure what real influence families have nowadays. I remember how I liked to talk to my dad about politics and other stuff, I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. But even when I was married my father would visit us at least once a week. Today families gather for Christmas parties.

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein