WITNESSING CHANGE

Witnessing Change . . . ?

Reflecting on change in terms of its speed as well as its context perhaps each of the past two generations feel they lived through tumultuous times. I believe a case can be made those born in the early portion of the last century, i.e. 1900 to 1915 were witness to some of the most substantive technological marvels that mankind has invented and developed. They were apart of that generation which was witness to two world wars, the development, deployment and force of an atomic bomb upon a human population, and hopefully watched as Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon. This is generation of my late father, I came along in ’43, during the big one WW2. They were witness, to what by today’s standards were the embryonic developmental steps of the computer and marveled as it was intricately woven into being the guide for much of NASA triumphant successes. They saw the initial development of what are now the ubiquitous subdivisions of “cookie-cutter” homes, the development of air conditioning allowing the deserts of the Southwest to be inhabited without restriction or reservation. Many were witness as President Eisenhower signed the interstate highway act, breeding the spreading of asphalt across our nation. Some were around to question the sanity of those “teenagers” during the “peace/free love/rock and roll” era of the 60’s and 70’s. Having been witness to American success in two prior war encounters the events that unfolded in Vietnam were incomprehensible to many of them.

As I reflect as objective as it is humanly possible when attempting to look through the eyes and temperament of another, and I use my late father as the mirror. He was a man proud to be an American. Proud of what his nation stood for, as well as what it had accomplished. Being born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1912, the Vegas of today doubtfully was dreamed, though he like most of his contemporaries felt that Vegas would grow and endure, which so far it has done exceedingly well. He attempted to instill and live the notion that one could trust their government it was not there to undermine you nor intentionally distort the truth. Far from a dreamer, he was a realist and was well aware there were always a few “bad apples” in any barrel. There was a fundamental belief the press, though prejudice as a result of owner’s/publisher’s perspective, nonetheless reported “straight-news” not the “infomercials” to which we are subjected today. Radio was the “big” news delivery system and like many, he had a lot of respect for Edward R. Murrow, H. V. Kaltenborn and Lowell Thomas. TV was not available in Vegas until the mid 1950’s. As I attempt to look through his lens at the world in his era, he saw a world wherein he could fundamentally trust his government. That is not to say, that he or everyone for that matter agreed with all the actions they took in his behalf as the Congress of our nation. But on a basic fundamental level there was the feeling for the most part the government was giving its people the straight scoop.

This “trust” began to unravel when the US government began to plant covert news stories in the paper reporting on the “official/actual” results of the most recent above ground atomic weapons test at the site no more than100 miles from our house. We had friends and neighbors, like so many others in Vegas at the time, who worked at the “test-site” as it was known, their first hand accounts did not match to any degree those reported as “official” by the then Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).

When the first hand accounts of the journalists and returning military personnel from Vietnam began to diametrically oppose the “official/actual” story line being promulgated by our government, the last vestiges of truth and honor fell, freedom of the press was a thing of the past. When Nixon’s own action painted him as corrupted and untruthful, the office of the president sank to a level from which it has not recovered.

In the near 50 years since I graduated from high school, the level of education which we choose to provide to our youngsters is inexorably of lesser quality than that which I was provided. We don’t want them to read, we choose not to have them write, we don’t care if they can find Iraq on a map or world globe, hell they can't even find their own state on a US map, let alone know the state capitals. We have eliminated history and civics as part of their curriculum too, while on the other hand we wonder why they can't do math.

Sadly, I would make “book” most of our youngsters have not studied or even know what Emanuel Kant wrote, or a fellow named William Shakespeare, who was Robin Hood …? What’s a Don Quixote, or who made famous the line … I have a dream …? What’s the meaning behind the statement … “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” …? Why should they study or know anything about communism, fascism, socialism, totalitarianism, or capitalism…? Why know anything about the great religions of the world…?

Why indeed, when we have chosen to willingly submit to the dictates fostered upon them and us by a government in collusion with for-profit-corporate-endeavors…? There is a term for this type of government business intertwine, know what it is…?

The changes I have witness in my now 65 years on this planet are by any measure vast, swift and ever changing still. Speed coupled with technology expands the knowledge available to us at nearly light speed, well beyond the ability of any one man or woman to keep abreast or comprehend. In such a world the ability to – trust – seems to me to be paramount. And yet in America, today, most of us, more than half, which includes me, don’t trust our government.

How did we stray so far away from those ideals upon which our nation reputedly was founded…? Thomas Jefferson had a great line when noted …. "A little revolution now and then is a good thing". A revolution is what we need, not of sword, not to annihilate, not to destroy, not to shame, not to hate, not to blame, but to educate, to embrace, to comfort and yes, to love.

Too simple, too esoteric, too out there for you, that’s just what they want to feel to see, to embrace. Be afraid be very afraid, in this mode we serve them well.