Those of us Players in the Last Quarter, those born -- say -- before 1950, have seen a great deal. It may well be that something very similar could be said of the Fourth Quarter players of any era. I, for one, was not sentient or aware for either World War and didn't have to live through the flu epidemic that left the dead lined up on the streets. It is my guess that every generation comes to feel that it has gone through new crises and technological changes more profound than those who came before and the Last Quarter folk are, I suppose, the witnesses that are most likely to sit about talking and musing on these great changes. ................... Recently, I fascinated about my own busted delusions about how we had, in the words of Rogers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma, "gone about as fer as we could go." When the book publishers and newspapers began to fail ... when the world of photography just about left film whether in the still camera or the digitalization of theater projection .... when the typewriter is gone and the room size computer with its punch cards has been replaced by a book sized laptop and Dick Tracy watches are in everyone's pocket .... it's hard to maintain the illusion. ...................... All this having been said, living in the 24 hour news cycle is, indeed, mind boggling. The latest national mourning in the United States, the loss of life from another mega-storm (this one tornadic), the Lord knows how many little kids ... how many parents have joined the mourners of Columbine and Newtown and all the other man-made and natural disasters that take over the airways for something like a week and then "flies off like a dream." 50% of marriages end and 50% of those that remain suck and, if we doubt it, we note how many of our public figures are caught with ther "bousers untruckled" (to borrow from the Capital Steps and their wonderfully silly songs) ... or mouthing off simply for political gain. ........................ If I have a prayer -- independent of any political similarities or differences that I may have -- it's that the Presidential family that does, indeed, feel a bit like Camelot, not turn out to be like the Kennedy's of Camelot. There's something very restful and soothing for me in knowing that there's a family out there somewhere that seems intact with a whacked out looking pooch to keep them company. Especially with all the mourning I need to do for Colorado, Arizona, New York, Boston and, now, Oklahoma. ......................... Michelle! You and your family (your thoiughtful husband, the two very sweet looking kids, your ever-watchful Mom and Bo) mean more to many of us than you may imagine. Go, Girl, go!
G'night, John Boy!
Howard, thanks for your commentary about the vast changes that each generation is confronted with, and feels uniquely challenged and shaped by..... are we really so different from one another, generation-wise, or is this an illusion we need to cling to? I'm not sure of the answer.
ReplyDeleteI remember as a student at UCLA being asked in a philosophy course to read a book entitled "Future Shock" by Alvin Toffler. This was in the days before we could imagine the Internet, let alone pocket-size computers called iPhones. We still had main-frame computers inside "The Center for Social Science Reseach" on our campus.
Toffler's analysis of the rapid change of technology since the beginning of the 20th century, as compared with many previous centuries of human history, was brilliant and at the time, a quite novel perspective. Toffler could not have imagined the even more dramatic pace of change that was yet to come. Now, his book would seem antiquated by most standards, but it forever changed my perceptions about the nature of societal change, and how these profound sociological and cultural changes have impacted our individual lives.
As you say, we now have the 24 hour news cycle, and the massacre in a village in Syria, that even 100 years ago, we might not have ever learned about at all, today is instantly available to us on cable news and the internet, in all it's vivid and bloody details. The amount of human suffering we are exposed to is without a doubt overwhelming. I, too, am deeply saddened by what happened in Oklahama and my hear weeps for those terrified children and their families. Now, the phrase 'compassion fatigue' can take on a new meaning. It may not be that we go 'numb', but the opposite, that we take it all in and indeed grieve. Too much sorrow, too much to grieve.
Like you, I also feel my heart incredibly lightened up by pictures of the Obama family, with the President, Michelle, their beautiful daughters, and that amazing dog 'Bo". We need to be reminded that indeed, there are still healthy, intact families out there. And that, however imperfect, there are still political leaders who believe in the ability of government to make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary Americans. I do hope that the images we see in those lovely photographs of the Obama's reflect a genune truth about who they are as individuals and as a family. A little inspiration goes a long way!