Remembering History

Remembering History

Today is how long you have lived your life time. Tomorrow it will even be longer. Have you ever considered the things that have been significant during that time? Like a birthday, a birth, a death, some form of success or failure, being happy or sad. Maybe it was something big or small that you remember the most. We all have our own life time that we can look at.
What about the things that made history in the world during your life time? Do you remember all of them, maybe some of them and do you remember where you where? For all of us right now we have had the pleasure or displeasure of witnessing some of the things that have made history. Depending on your age you may have witness more history than others.
Have you made history? Maybe it might seem so small that it doesn’t matter, but you made it. For example: Here we are in a writing group. The founders of this group made history by starting it up. Who wrote the first book in the group, who read the first story? Who wrote the first book in their family? Who was published first in the group? Although these are small things if compare to the world but each one is very important to the group and to the person that has done it.
As for me I can look back at some of the history I have made or be a part of. I was part of the hundreds of protesters from the Scallop Industry to Aids that greeted Jean Chretien when he visited Kentville in the 1990’s. I was the first one in my family to be published in a magazine. I was also the youngest person ever in 1974 at that time in Newfoundland to take the St John’s Ambulance First Aid Course. Today younger people take it. I was the first one in my family to be a fire fighter and the first and only one in the Digby Fire Department to win the most improved fire fighter twice. I was also the last one in my family to go deep sea fishing. It may sound like I am bragging but I am not. I just wanted to show you that we have all done something to add to history no matter how insignificant it is to you but how it could have a chain reaction somewhere down the road.
In our time here on earth we have seen many things that have made history. I will give you a glimpse of some of the things that I have witnessed or remembered and I am sure that you will remember some of the same things or more.
I know it’s hard to believe but I remember when John F Kennedy was assassinated. Why I remember this from such an early age I can’t answer that. Other historical things I remember seeing as a kid was when Neil Armstrong was walking on the moon. I remember a bit about the Vietnam War but I also remember the Woodstock festival being televised. Yes I even remember Nixon and Watergate. I have also met Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in person twice. I know that is not history but I had to put it in.
I was in the kitchen doing dishes watching the Olympics when Romanian Nadia Comaneci got a perfect 10 in gymnastics. Some other things were like the Gulf War. I watched every minute I could and even saved the daily newspapers on it. When Princess Diane and Prince Charles got married and when she was killed. I was home with vertigo when the twin towers came down and heard things being reported that I haven’t heard since. I watched when the space shuttle Columbia blew up and watched when they reported about the first test tube baby.
Some other things like the Chernobyl disaster, the tsunami in Japan, earthquakes in South America. Most recently the fire that destroyed Fort McMurray, the first black man becoming president of the United States and the first woman secretary of State who ran twice for president. I was in the same storm that the Ocean Ranger was when it collapsed and heard all the chatter on the ship to shore radio leading up to it.
These are just a few that I remember but history is something to be learned from so that it may or may not be repeated. History has also shown that some people should be careful in what they do. Some scientists have already cloned some animals like dogs, sheep, and pigs. Now they are trying to clone the Woolly Mammoth. Science or History should not be allowed to show that man is trying to be god. Sometimes we have to let history stay in the past. For the future, there is a lot more history to be made. Hopefully it will be for the benefit of saving mankind and this earth…. which our history is now showing that we are destroying it. Unfortunately we cannot see in the future: only the present and the past.