By the time, dear reader, you scan this column, my wife and I will have celebrated 50 years of marriage (My parents were not happy their son wed at age 10.)
OK, I was born in 1950, so you do the math. Actually, I did the math last night, up far too late and my mind racing, thanks to steroid injections; I stumbled upon the fact that I am starting my eighth decade on this planet. Well, maybe longer if you believe in reincarnation, which I don’t, although there was a moment while visiting Gettysburg that I was not so certain. I still cannot tell you how I knew I was approaching Gen. Lee’s headquarters from two blocks away.
Back to relevance: Born during the presidency of Harry Truman, it means I have witnessed many changes. I recall two women living in a house in Charlottesville operating the town’s telephone system with their plug-in board. I vividly remember, though my mother swears I was too young for such a memory, the sparks flying overhead from the catenary wires of Indianapolis street cars. Now we rely on cellphones that have more computer power than Mission Control for an Apollo moon launch, and we have driverless automobiles. I am still awaiting those awesome flying cars we were promised. I’ve seen both the birth and the demise of the SST. I may regret that demise later this year as I fly to Great Britain.
In my time, America has hit highs and lows, often in the same decade. I have lived through some the very best and some of the worst the American people have to offer. Through Truman’s foresight, Europe rose from the ashes of the most devastating war against humanity. It happened only with the unprecedented generosity of the United States. In the decades since, America has offered the world much, but it also sent countless thousands to death and dismemberment over pointless wars. When faced with the threat of Soviet dominance overhead, America did the impossible and sent men to the moon. Meanwhile, some Americans fought a hateful battle against civil rights, a battle still being fought, though perhaps in more of a Cold War manner. Even now, there exists a racial hatred that sometimes spews violent acts and frequent attempts to repress voting rights of African-Americans.
During my time on this orb we fought a war on poverty here at home with mixed results, while globalization, much maligned here, is responsible for a great diminishing of worldwide poverty. Again, a great deal of that latter success is due to American generosity and the American economy.
It occurs to me that these past several decades have demonstrated that ours is an imperfect nation seeking a perfect union. We have produced great and marvelous achievement for world betterment but have at the same time created messes and mistakes. That is how it has always been and what we can always expect. Or is it?
In this current climate of disunity and America First policies, can we expect to continue doing great things for the world? Having built up our allies, as well as former foes, we are now witnessing the corrosion of those alliances. Will this continue or will America snap out of it and regain its former position in the world? Will we take back the mantle of moral leadership we have dropped?
Will Americans, here at home, soften the hardened spirit of disharmony? Will we make inroads to unity? Will we restore our respect in our democratic institutions, a respect that has drastically waned? I have to hope we do.
Michael Adkins formerly was chair of the Hancock County Democratic Party.
