In retrospect, I find it ironic to realize that in this era of the Covid-19 pandemic, a truly historic event, I have also lived through other significant events and eras.
My first major recollection is that of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which itself was followed just 13 months later by the assassination of JFK, one of the main protagonists in that near-end-of-the-world confrontation.
Over the years, I’ve heard so much about the fears so many kids had at that time. Funny thing is, I got no great scare out of the crisis for at that time, I had no realization of what a nuclear war entailed. I had as of yet not begun my love and reading of history. Little did I know, until later, just how close the world came to the apocalypse.
I shared and explained my childhood memories of that event here once before in a post, speaking of a great book telling about that moment in history. That era itself was a monumental time, the Cold War, which didn’t end for another couple of decades until the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.
Then came the Vietnam War, a decade of tumultuous discord that tore the nation apart. And towards the end of that came more discord over a bungled burglary at the Watergate Complex in DC, leading to the first ever resignation of an American president.
Of course, no American will ever forget the day 9/11. All that need be said is those numbers together, 9 and 11. Metaphorically speaking, that day was the Pearl Harbor of a later generation.
There was, however, another time in my life that at the moment, I didn’t realize the historical significance of for I was so young. It’s only been over the past couple of days that I’ve been reminded of this simply due to watching a couple of movies, thanks to Showtime and Epix free viewing given to us by our cable company due to the coronavirus lock-down keeping so many people at home.
The time I’m speaking of is that of segregation. Being a southern boy from the state of North Carolina, others might find it hard to believe that I had no experience in practicing any segregationist activity. But, surprisingly, I didn’t see that much of it in my area, though I do have to admit I did hear plenty of questionable talk and words used at time. Still…such didn’t really mean that much to my young mind. Something I’ve learned is the fact that racism comes from and is fostered by the environment one comes from and, ironically, the environment given to me by my parents frowned upon any racial stereotyping.
My brother and I were raised not to judge people by color or race. And though growing up in a southern state, it wasn’t in the deep south. My local city did have the separate restrooms and water fountains which makes me recall the one major instance of my introduction to the ignorance and nastiness of discrimination.
On a hot summer day, my Mama and I rode to town on the bus and walked around shopping. We finally made it to Sears.
After all the walking around town, I was so hot an thirsty so we went and found the water fountains in the store. There was a terribly long line at the White Only fountain so Mama pointed at the other fountain and told me to drink.
While taking my cool sips of water, this lady walked up and yelled at Mama, telling her that she shouldn’t be letting me drink out of that nasty fountain, which prompted Mama to tell the lady to mind her own business. That was the one and only time I ever remember seeing Mama lose her temper and speak out loudly in public, for she was a very quite, shy and retiring lady. And her actions impressed upon my young 7-year-old mind what it meant to stand up, a lesson I never forgot.
The two movies I spoke of that we’ve watched the past couple of days are Green Book and The Best of Enemies, both films based upon true events about real people. And they both speak about times I lived through without knowing how important and historical they were to become. Not only did they remind me of times gone by, they were the opportunity for Lynndee to learn the way things used to be in this country before she was even born and before she came to America and became a citizen.
Now, I can only hope to live long enough to see the movies that will one day tell the story of what we’re living through at this moment in history. And here’s also hoping it will soon end!
Oh gosh, I am tired of being a part of history. I am ready to get on with my life. I will have interesting stories to tell at least!
Oh snap!! How fascinating to live during the Cuban Missile Crisis!!! It’s crazy where life takes us!
I lived through these pieces of history, too, but wasn’t old enough to realize the significance. For me, 9/11 was probably the single most significant event I have lived through.
This was really thought-provoking. You never really know what history will mean until you are looking back. Thank you for allowing me to walk away with some interesting things to think through.
I lived through some of these events too. I remember when Martin Luther King was shot, my mom was outraged and it may have been the first time I saw her cry. Although my dad was drafted in 1968, I wasn’t too worried about the Vietnam War. He was stationed in Belgium, and we went with him. We did not have a TV, so my sisters and I had no idea what was happening. It was only when we came back to the States that I really understood that it was a war.
This is a worrisome time for so many reasons, and I hope that things get better soon.
I am so tired of living in this historical time, but this gives me hope that live does and will go on. You’ve lived through so many events and have carried on. We all shall, too. Loved the part about your mama speaking up! She seemed like an amazing lady 🙂
Wow, you’ve definitely experienced some historical times. I love letting my kids hear stories from their grandparents and great grandma about their past. We video chatted with great grandma last week (no visitors allowed right now) and got to hear about her experiences during The Great Depression.
Beautiful words! You’ve really gone a long way and I could only wish that we all get past this. I don’t have as much stories to share yet ( compared to yours ), but one thing is for sure, we’re all learning from this pandemic page of history.
The way we live will definitely not be the same, but we could only hope to heal, move forward, and be better citizens of the world so we can pass on these stories to the next generation. Hopefully, they learn from us.
it’s funny to think that were living through a historic moment. I wonder how people 100 years from now will view this pandemic.
I have been telling my kids that this is and will be a big part of history that they are living through. They have been writing in a journal to document what they have been doing to look back one day.
Yes, we lived in historic times. But sometimes, I prefer to live in a normal time where nothing is happening!
It’s crazy to think of what we have all been living through. I feel like I have lived through so much throughout all the years already. I’m sure this will become a huge part of history too.
So much history within these years! It’s so crazy to see where life takes us.
This will definitely be the most historic so far, for a lot of people. I would say 9/11 was the biggest event for me before this, which happened while I was in grad school. It is interesting to see how this generation copes with difficulty as there has not been much hardship since wartime many years ago.
This is definitely an interesting way to look at things. I remember 9/11. This and COVID-19 are pretty terrible things to go through. Thank goodness for the technology and other things we have to get us through these tough times.
We are truly living in interesting times, which means a new chapter in your book is being written. Let’s hope it ends well, globally. Huge admiration for your mom. Thanks for the water fountain story.
Wow great post to reflect on the event we got through! It shows a ray of hope that we will get through this one too and maybe talk about it with our kids if we survive 🙂