Natural Disasters shape our history.
Have you ever noticed that?
Hurricane Agnes hit in 1973... crippling the entire MidAtlantic region.
An Earthquake rocked Los Angeles in Jan of 1994 bringing that town to it's knees.
Katrina, Andrew and Isabel don't even require the word 'Hurricane' for complete understanding.
Just saying Tsunami brings vivid memories of the December 26, 2004 Tsunami in Indonesia.
9-11-2001 (not natural, but a disaster unlike any ever seen on our soil)
The Nashville flood of 2010...
These are the things that stick in one's mind as the years go by.
Just saying the date or the name of the event and instantly you are there, in that time and place, even if you weren't old enough, or alive, to remember.
No one says,"Remember that day in June of ? when no one was killed and the weather man was right and the Orioles actually won a game?"
Why is it the disasters of the world are what become our memories, not just personal, but as a nation?
History is made up of events that shape the world, not just the one in which we live, but for future generations to come.
History is not just the bad, the tragic and the horrific...
It's filled with good and wonderful things.
Benjamin Franklin flying a kite.
Thomas Edison's first phonograph saying "Mary had a little lamb".
Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Princess Diana, Marie Curie... intelligent people who made the world a better place.
The Mayflower, Apollo 11, The Spirit of St. Louis, The St Louis World's Fair...
Why is it that the macabre and evil are remembered, but the fun, the happy and the entertaining historical events are forgotten?
Maybe history should be told as stories... made exciting and interesting like movies and novels- think Last of the Mohicans or Pirates of the Caribbean... not just dates and names and facts.
Maybe then ALL of it would be remembered...
Then again... probably not.
2 comments:
Wow! that was something very different and interesting :D
Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing your passion for writing :D
It's always wonderful to meet like minded people.
Let's stay in touch :)
Cheers!!
Yes Dawn. I agree. Why IS it we only hear and remember the bad or sad? Here's another question to go with that. When did we become so numb to other peoples suffering? I mean, we see things happen but so few are willing to do anything about it. They say "I don't want to get involved." Why not? I would want someone to "get involved" if I was in trouble. Or the comment "Why say anything? It won't make a difference." How do you know it won't make a difference? It might to someone. Maybe not the first person, but what about everyone else? I try to teach my kids to have a heart and care about others as well as themselves. But its hard. The world has become a hard place. Penny Goetz
Post a Comment