Looking Back, Seeing Forward

Today in the car, on the way to do my Christmas shopping, I popped a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young CD in the player. I love much of their music, especially the political/social songs. The song Chicago came on and instantly I felt transported back 40 years. Even though I was pretty young in 1968 when the Democratic convention was being held, I knew all about it, felt the charge to stand up for injustice and knew several friends that hopped in a VW bus and headed to the Windy city to protest. I admired them and wished I could go too. I was 14.
By the time I was 16 I was then a proud card carrying member of the SDS, and spent many a day skipping school and heading off to Harvard Sq to sit in discussions about the changes that needed to be made and listened as protests were organized. Made phone calls to help jam the phones of companies that made missiles. I knew "weathermen" and was proud of that fact.
We all believed in change....not always with the best approach in mind, but that often comes with youthful idealism and at least we knew what was happening in the world, instead of being self consumed with personal wants.
Today as I listened to the songs of this time, I realized that change has taken place. When the song, "Southern Man" was popular, it was at a time when I was not allowed to attend a school banquet with a black boy, by the school ! We just said fine, and went individually and then sat next to each other. Can you imagine that happening now, I sure hope you can't !
This fall it will be time to elect a new president and I see some hope and idealism that I pray turns into the realization that we have changed from those dark days of 40 years ago.
A few years ago I was in L.A. for a meeting and one of the speakers tried to convince me to get into local politics. He was articulate, super successful business man and pretty convincing as we chatted. I told him, it might not be such a good idea with my past ties to the weathermen and the SDS and he stopped dead in his tracts, called the other speaker over to us and then shared with me that he and the other speaker had been part of the same circle, now here they were looking like the ultimate yuppies, selling their knowledge on how to make lots of money in a certain aspect of real estate. Designer suits, the whole nine yards. I asked them, "did you sell out to materialism and grow comfortable in apathy? " "No" the both replied in unison, they had figured out a different way to make changes, to play a bigger part in the solution than just shouting. We ended up talking for hours. I learned a lot. Today on the way home from shopping, which by the way, I did complete ALL my Christmas shopping, I thought about the act of parenting, it has been a conscious act for Emery and I to raise socially and politically aware children. My girls vote faithfully, keep informed and are not afraid to voice their concerns and fight for what is right. Steven doesn't vote, Mennonites don't vote and politics are not an interest, but then he is expressing his freedom too.
I did more than wave a peace symbol, when all is said and done, Emery and I raised children that will not ever stand in silence when there is injustice.
Now we need to work on being mindful, compassionate, aware of the frailty of the earth, be aware of all man kinds sufferings and teach our children well !

Me, 1970's