Yes, I am a little slow tuning in to some of the more contemporary and cultural trends. But in January, I read the article in the USA Today for January 22, 2018. Seeing ‘1968’ on that page I suddenly realized the significance. Fifty years separated that 1968 from today’s 2018.
Needless to say, I had to put it into perspective. I was a freshman in high school and had decided that I wanted to go into journalism–to make a difference. We were in Vietnam. We were in the throes of civil rights changes. And I was growing up in the Midwest on a family farm.
My viewpoint was idealistic. I have often been accused of being a “pollyanna’ and I accept that. I probably still am. I always look for the positives and hate to admit that the realities can be devastating. I want to see the good.
But I am also a news junkie. I could watch the news all morning, at noon, during the evening news and even the 10 pm news. I want to know what is going on. I have even explained that being a journalist was a way to be legally nosey.
But back to 1968. I read the USA Today article and saved it. There is so much in there to absorb. I do not think we should ignore the enormous changes that have occurred in our society that began there and have defined today. The article is worthy of rereading.
Then another surprise. In the mail came a gift subscription to the Smithsonian and what was the cover! 1968! The headline with the year, “The Year that Shattered America.” Fifty years ago, events made the news and many were just experiencing the news instantly broadcast–in full color–right into our living rooms.
How, in 50 years, could a society change so radically. I am sure it has to do with the immediacy of news, but also consider all the changes in how families function–or dysfunction. Think about the changes in industry. Think about priorities. Think about faith.
The past 50 years have sped past us and if the magazine Smithsonian is right, we are a shattered culture. I, in my naivety, want to see that in 50 years, we are still a fluid society, shifting and changing to meet our community standards. The community, now, though really is global and the political boundaries cannot keep the flow of ideas confined.
Today’s 2018 community has the potential of promoting a global culture that finds the value of the individual and the unique cultures that circle this world. Surely the political and the corporate world should lead by valuing individuals and the cultures from which they come. If they don’t, then I sadly could see how 2018 could become the year that shattered our global community by 2068.
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