4/11/18 Chatterbox
Every generation has its cross to bear
Scientific studies suggest that we remember best the things
that happen between the ages of 15 and 25 years old. Researchers in this sort
of data call it a “reminiscence bump.” It includes remembering everything from
your first kiss to public events. If that is true, today’s young adults are
certainly going to remember a time when it was frightening to go to school. Good for them for taking their “never
again” cause to the streets! Sadly, it is their cross to bear.
I can vividly remember where I was and what I was doing when
certain things happened in those early years of innocence. In this new social
media era, victims are being publically targeted and bullied or silently
stalked to a violent end. People get so angry they plot how to mow down their
neighbors. There's always a cross to bear.
My point of bringing up this subject is not only because of
recent atrocities. It’s because those of us over the age of 50 have also had
front row seats to all kinds of terrorism and violence in our lifetimes. I
interact daily with people who feel like they’re suffering from PTSD,
remembering wars and other evils. We seem powerless to stop the madness.
According to a Washington Post article, the United States is
NOT the most violent country in the world. It just seems like it. (Think
Mexico, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan.) However, in comparison to other rich, capitalist
democracies, we have a society where an unusual number of people die violently
yearly. A cross to bear? Or a problem to solve?
So, come along with me on a little walk down memory lane. Senior
citizens will recognize and remember where you were when these so-called
incidents happened. Unfortunately, we had front row seats to most of these
tragedies. Still, the violence goes on.
I vividly remember the day that President John F. Kennedy
was assassinated in Nov. 22, 1963, I was barely in my 20s and driving my sweet pre-school
daughter home from having her birthday photo taken in Inglewood, Calif. As the news of J.F.K.’s death came over the
radio, traffic visibly slowed and it was obvious that we drivers were all in
shock. Our nation mourned together. We were glued to our television sets for
days and the images of a mourning country are imprinted on our hearts forever.
This year was the 50th anniversary of the death
of Martin Luther King, Jr. Who can forget his “I have a Dream speech during the
march on Washington? Because of him, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended
segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on
race, color, religion, sex or nationality. MLK was the most important voice of
the movement. He was 39 when he was shot
and killed on April 4, 1968. His death was a shot in the heart of the movement.
Two months later, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the late president’s
brother, was assassinated. He died at 42, after being gunned down by an
assassin at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Another deranged shooter. His
killer, Sirhan Sirhan, is considered one of our first terrorists and is still
in jail! That’s not fair either.
The on-going Vietnam Conflict was never officially declared
a war but it lasted nearly 20 years. On May 4, 1970, brave Kent State University
students protested the war in a bloody clash with the Ohio National Guard. Four
students were killed and their protest became the focal point of our country’s
division. The war ended five years later. PTSD goes on forever.
April 19, 1995, I was jolted awake by the radio news of the
Oklahoma City bombing. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols decided to bomb the
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building where 168 people were killed (including 15
children) and 680+ were wounded. Why? Because they were angry at the federal
government. McVeigh and Nichols are alive but in prison.
I think that the whole world watched the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks
on the World Trade Center, killing 2,977 victims. Those 19 Islamic extremists
seem to set the bone chilling tone for the 21st century. Lives were
lost and trust broken to never be regained. The madness goes on.
Each of these horrible incidents happened in a different
decade. Mankind never seems to learn, compromise or change. The perpetrators
never show remorse. It seems that angry humans always have a reason to kill one
another. Every generation has that cross to bear.
The Apostle John said, “Little children love one another.” Love
and acceptance begin with you and me at home, on the freeway and at school or
work. It’s good advice. Always be considerate and respectful. And if we can’t
get along, that’s why we have laws. Obey them. God help us all!
Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox at bchatty@bettykaiser.com
