Through the eyes of 57 years

[blues90]

Grass stains on blue jeans , chasing a blinking fire-fly , sitting on the edge of a farm pond watching a turtle reach for air , fitting in at grade school , feeling the spirit of holidays as if everyone shares the day together all connected as one . The changes of puberty . Black and white TV .Music class with the clarinet .

The day Kennedy died .

Rock and roll radio , hearing the new music and feeling the wave of change , the importance of learning and books and personal views , somethings happening here and it is not quite so clear . Must learn to play the guitar .

Vietnam and the fear and the protest begin , friends disappear , you wait you turn to come . Woodstock brings together peace and a hope . Holidays are a time to remember those who have come and gone so young , so young .

It's time to become serious , must decide the direction to take , will I work for labor or will I work for steak . Will I want a family , can I follow through .

The war is finally over , and where did they all go , I will miss them all badly, I am older than they will ever be , how can this be and I know it's true .

They say life must go on , as we go through age and change , some sort of distance , the past folds in and I begin to miss it . I want to go home .

Life does go on , I feel nowhere the same , part of me is missing ,I don't know who or what to blame , they say life does go on , they say .


I wake and I work , I sleep , I return . Am I settled , have I found my place .

Lennon is shot .

How can this be , is our voice now gone , I know I don't feel quite the same , are we together like it was on the holiday .


Life goes on so they say , is it now that is real or has it gone ,it this to be , will I find wonder will I find hope .


Politics and the boss , I can go on , the worst is over , there will be more fun , talk of the old days , all are memory , is this who I've become .

It's a new generation , here I now find , parts of me missing , parts of me blind , parts of me hopeful , life will go one , yes they say life will go on . I embrace to good old days , i will hold on .


This cannot be , unfolding before me now , stolen elections buildings do fall . I did the right thing , I played by the law , I helped where I could have , I worked on and on . They say life will go on , they say .

More death and destruction , more hunger and greed , this can't be , it's not happening to me . They say , life will go on , they say trust me , life will go on .

Divided we stand , more blood on their hands , I played by the rules , I liked my fellow man , I remember the old times , I remember my friends , how can this happen , is this now the end . They say life will go on , trust me man , life will go on , you are kept safe , life will go on , they say , they say life will go on .

How to get past this , who is my friend , where will I work , who will I defend ,I feel the people hurting , I can't be alone , I wake with a start now and smell the fresh air , wonder if tomorrow I will still be , where .

[bumblebee1]

1. That's powerful stuff

[Erika]

2. Yes, it's all a sick repeat

But we now have the means to see it. We can remember MLK being shot dead, RFK, JFK. All the progressives.

All democrats with progressive ideals, all shot dead. All who wanted to give all Americans a better life. All shot dead. They tried to shoot a generation of progressives to silence their voices.

Progressives didn't shoot them. Who did? Why did Carnihan and Wellstone die?

Same force?

[madfloridian]

3. Looking back is hard, seeing now is heartbreaking.

Vietnam hit my generation very hard. But I was busy with my young family, and unless the deaths were someone I knew I moved on pretty quickly.

But I was younger then, and the full import of what we did in Vietnam did not hit me until later.

What we have done in Iraq is unforgiveable. I simply cried watching Frontline tonight, even though I knew those things all along like most here.

My first words to my husband when it was over were I wonder what my family is thinking tonight about all the times they referred to the liberal media I was quoting to them. I don't bother anymore to quote anything. I told them they were grownups and would be accountable for themselves.

It is evil what we have done, and the leaders that led us there have to indeed live with it.

[Erika]

4. Our tears are once again large

We didn't learn.

[WinkyDink]

5. I will be 57 in November. Everything is hard to believe, for me.

Where are the young to protest the deaths of their peers?

[Erika]

6. Where are the peers to protest?

Are you talking about the College Republicans? They are all for wars....if someone else fights them.

[madfloridian]

7. The day Kennedy was shot we watched on black and white TV.

Not very good reception, but we at least got to see the funeral.

Bobby Kennedy's death was devastating.

I called a legislator's office today, and the aide said I sounded irritated. I said no, you are misreading my tone....I am just plain mad. I said I call to talk about state problems, and I get sermons from you on gays and abortions. I said you love the war in Iraq and all the killing, so I consider you a hypocrite.

She said do you want him to call you, and I said why bother. I would just get a sermon from him. Then I asked her how she felt about the soldiers dying, and the Iraqi civilians dying. She said she trusted our Christian president. I said he is no Christian, and you are in world of denial.

I felt better because I made her mad. Isn't that awful?

I also told Bill Nelson's aide that the Senator had blood on his hands, and he did not even seem to care.

It was a good and bad day.

[OneBlueSky]

8. I just turned 60, and the one thing that really resonates with me . . .

(for some reason) is John Lennon's murder . . .

every so often I think about what it might be like if he were still alive . . . we'd still have a voice -- and a powerful one at that . . .

[blues90]

16. I still think about Lennon too .

it seems like a 100 years ago , I went to a vi-dual in Miami since I was living in Florida at the time . I was amazed how may people turned out and these were across the US .

I don't know if there is anyone who would gather such crowds nowdays .

There are so many great voices lost now , so many and each one is another vital part of our progessive minded society that was ripped away .

Things have changed so much I feel sick just thinking about it .

[Mend]

9. John F. Kennedy, Jr. : Imagine if he was still alive and

speaking for us. Imagine that. And no, I don't believe his plane just crashed all by itself any more than Wellstone's plane.

[WinkyDink]

14. I flew to Europe while his plane was still missing.

Saw the tragic news there. He was, apparently, much loved overseas.

[Toots]

10. This post could have been my own

Those memories are my memories as well even this one "Music class with the clarinet ".

[Armstead]

11. Good post --

I'm in the same age bracket.

[blues90]

12. A generation

people who are past 50 like myself who grew up in the 50's and were aware in the 60's were all part of a generation who had high hopes of a change to make things better for all . And through this time things were not going well but we still had a connection and could see the possibilities , we had the music and even though music may seem to many now who are younger as minimal , during that time it was anything but minimal of commercial , these were stories and sounds to relate with and motivate and find hope and sometimes answers and direction .

Now that this is gone and most a memory , now we watch has life has become a series of nightmares we would never have imagined in our lifetimes before . How do you get past this , how can you let go , this is what makes this so very difficult right now , everything you knew to be true and remember has been washed away and replaced by an urgency of death and destruction and sadness , and we cannot stop it , people in many areas in political seats sit and talk and clam-mer as if there is time to spare when this has to stop , like a bleeding wound before the blood runs out . It's urgent . I feel a great massive loss and I feel urgent and I feel the world I knew which seemed like not so long ago has been erased and replaced by sinister madness .

[byronius]

13. But how do you really feel?

Strange to watch all the little cycles going, all the little gears turning as the giant beast that is US stumbles over the edge. Milk Expiration Dates and Quick Oil Changes as America suddenly approves of brutal torture for the first time in its history. 'Sure is a hot one!' and 'I'm bored with my job' as American Democracy is raped and murdered in the parking lot. I'm 45, astonished, enraged, and I will never forget as long as I live, and never stop repeating what I know to be true: Conservative means Criminal. Republican means Anti-American. These people practice Insect Politics to make us an Insect Nation. Someday, as is common with right-wingers, they will break down and confess and cry -- 'I couldn't not do it, that's just who I am and what I think. I couldn't help it. I'm sorry.'

I forgive not. They need to leave my planet. I'm done with carrying their pathetic, sick, inefficient and cruel load. Off with them. Out. I will not forgive them for all they have done. Out. Off.

[blues90]

15. I hear you

All the little daily things in progress keep on going , all the competition within society each trying to get the big win or the upper hand . The bomb dropped on them and all their petty efforts .

I can't even imagine someone going out to buy a new car or planning a wedding , these things seem so minut and pointless compared to the larger picture . People still do these things but to me they seem so unimportant .

Everything was designed to save time and effort and all this brought about was a market of cheap oversaturation of imported crap . You can never really save time , you shorten a task and in the process become numb and overweight , what is it 33% of america is obese now .

All is revolved around becoming home bound and isolated with the home theater and surround sound , meals in minutes . People have self served themselves right out of a job . The american motto , I am in a hurry so speed it up . The world of the online shopper and a paypal account with war on their mind .