gradually

  I got up, turned on the computer as usual, and the first thing I see is a reminder. An underclassman, from my high school days was asking others about planning their fifty year class reunion. That reminded me, I graduated fifty years ago this month! Yes, that happened in the last century, five decades ago, fifty years, six hundred months, two thousand six hundred and seven weeks or eighteen thousand two hundred and fifty days! Yeah, it's been a while. I've known all along and yet somehow I'm surprised yet again. Just how did that happen? The "new" school building is now fifty years old! My class was the very first one to graduate from that building. Fifty years is generally considered the age at which a building could be designated a historic landmark. The car I drove to school is classified not only classic, but antique. 

 So I was born mid century, that would be the twentieth century, and have now made it twenty one years into the new millennium. Who could have known those that wouldn't make it into the next century. It's a bit of a shock at times, all that has transpired. I was around for 47 years of the last century and have been paying attention, rather closely, to the first twenty one of this one. I have to say, comparatively speaking, this century isn't off to a great start! I can say for sure that from the 1950's until the end of the century things were improving. Sure there were rough patches, Presidents were shot, protesting, marching on Washington, women's lib, race relations, a few wars and conflicts. But we got through them all pretty much with our dignity intact. I don't think that can be said of the first twenty one years of this century! 

 In September of 2001 the twin towers, the pentagon, and another aircraft down! I remember all of that vividly, as vividly as my parents remembered Pearl Harbor. Difference being, they never forgot. Today there are many twentysomethings that have forgotten. Many are making apologies to those that attacked us! Yes, just a bit of a different attitude I'd say. Then there was the Boston bombing. The invasion of Iraq,  natural disasters, and the election of Donald J Trump as President. Yes, the later has to be included as a major event in American history. No matter your personal opinion, for good or bad, that was a moment in American history that will be remembered. It did change the political landscape, forever.

 I've sure seen a lot happen in the last fifty years. I've seen the changes in morals, ethics and political rhetoric. Of those things I am keenly aware. It is the same things my parents were talking about, in the last century. I am beginning to understand that old adage, the more things change the more they remain the same. Being on social media and having interaction with some of those I went to school with that observation has been proven out. There are those I agree with and those that I don't. It's the same as when I was in high school. There are different groups and apparently that doesn't change much even after fifty years. I'm certain the same can be said about myself and my social circle. It really is the "birds of a feather" thing. You know the thing is, I didn't care all that much back then about any of that stuff. I just went about being me. I saw others trying to be something different, you know, the "cool" kids concerned with fashion, friends, and status. Yeah, not much has changed really. You know it was twenty nine years into the last century, 1929, when the stock market crashed! It's looking like that may happen a bit earlier in this century. History does have a way of repeating itself. What caused that crash? Economists have different opinions but most agree, the proliferation of debt, struggling agricultural business and large bank loans that could not be liquidated led to that. Sound familiar? It should it is what is happening right now. Our government is deeply in debt! The general population is deeply in debt! The farmers are struggling! 

 Then came FDR the savior of America with his "new deal." By 1936 the term liberal was in common usage to describe this new deal. The new deal was more and larger government. The problem with that was it destroyed the federal budget, plunging the government into debt without ending massive unemployment. It wasn't a raging success as many today like to credit FDR for. You could argue the same policy is being enacted today with the government spending, and indeed, the proposal to spend three trillion more! 

 Well, fifty years isn't that long a time really when taken in the context of history. It is just that we need to be reminded every now and again. When I was in that high school, fifty years ago and walked across that stage, I never expected to live history. History was just something we took because we had to. Now, I'm living history!  Imagine that. Graduated? Well, it's a gradual thing, takes a while to understand the lessons. Fifty years on and I'm still learning. Apparently, some never do.