Sitting in front of the TV on Tuesday and listening to Obama's victory speech really brought home the idea that this is indeed a historical event. The media threw that idea around, but in my lifetime, I didn't feel that this election was historical in the way watching the Twin Towers fall on CNN or seeing the Challenger blow up was historical. The message is not unusual. We've heard it before, but said now, said in this way, with these words strung together like a Baptist sermon, with the pulse of the crowd as they stood in silence, save for the call and response, "yes we can." That's history, "our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared." Hundreds of miles away, whole continents of people that watched or listened to his speech shared breath with those people watching him, and the message really resounded. . . "while we breathe, we hope."
Sitting in front of the TV on Tuesday and listening to Obama's victory speech really brought home the idea that this is indeed a historical event. The media threw that idea around, but in my lifetime, I didn't feel that this election was historical in the way watching the Twin Towers fall on CNN or seeing the Challenger blow up was historical. The message is not unusual. We've heard it before, but said now, said in this way, with these words strung together like a Baptist sermon, with the pulse of the crowd as they stood in silence, save for the call and response, "yes we can." That's history, "our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared." Hundreds of miles away, whole continents of people that watched or listened to his speech shared breath with those people watching him, and the message really resounded. . . "while we breathe, we hope."
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For those of us who went to high school in the 1960's, we were so fortunate to see history in the making. I remember being in elementary school when Hawai'i was made a state. We heard the initial announcment in school and I remember throwing the kickball high into the air and being very happy. The finalization came later but it was cool although I did not really understand the ramifications at that time.
In the intermediate grades, my friends and I were gaga over those Brits...the Beatles with their Yea...yea...yea. My friend, Dora, loved Ringo Starr and had a pendant made with his name. Every Sunday night, we were glued to the black and white TV to watch the Ed Sullivan show. Of course, Elvis was big, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino...etc, etc, etc. Decades later, their songs are still played from time to time and kids are still grooving to that old time rock and roll.
In high school, we admired JFK and his styling wife Jackie and the idyllic home life they seemed to have. I remember as a sophomore the day that JFK was assassinated. Our entire high school seemed to freeze..everyone went to the closest classroom to watch the televised replays of what happened. We held our communal breaths...how could this happen and yet happen it did...twice over with the assasinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
It seems that our daily lives are filled with such trivial things but when we look back...those of us who are baby boomers lived history. They were indeed the best of times, the worst of times.