[Spotlight Post] 50th Anniversaries Observed
This Friday is a historical day in US history – and a pivotal day in the lives of many, like my parents. Today is the 50th Anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. There are lots of memorials and news coverage and events happening to commemorate this day in history. I’m tempted to have the rebroadcasting of the original footage running this afternoon while I work, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea.
I’ve heard a couple of stories by people who were there on TV and the radio this morning. And the emotion that is still there after all the decades chokes me up. The possibility of crying at work…that’s never really a GOOD idea. And yet, there’s a part of me that wants to experience what my parents did. They were teenagers at the time. My uncle’s birthday is tomorrow (Happy Birthday, Uncle Alec), and this profoundly affected them. Though, a bit of trivia I noted (thanks to Facebook), on that day when a lot of things changed in the US for the worse – a very good thing happened, my friend, Frank Zepp was born – now there’s some cosmic Circle of Life stuff there.
This is a Big Deal. A lot of commentators are calling the Kennedy Assassination the event that killed US Innocence. I’m not a historian. I don’t even play one on TV, so I have no idea if that’s the case or not – but it doesn’t ring false – it’s still a major event in US history. And for the folks who are dissing Dallas for it? We don’t condemn other cities for one single event that occurred in your town – so stop it. No one person or city is defined by a single event – but a lifetime of experience.
Now, for more fun 50th Anniversary. This weekend is also the DR WHO 50th Anniversary. It’s not many franchises in entertainment that can boast the same kind of longevity – but I’m gratified to find out that Science Fiction tends to have legs like that. Shows and Universes like DR WHO are vital to our creative minds and souls. I’m proud to be part of this genre in my own way.
So no matter which (or both) anniversaries you’re observing this day/weekend, I wish you peace and some joy.