I intended to write this back in April, for the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic. Here it is now, and I shall expand on the original subject.
The past is the key to the present and the future, for instruction and inspiration.
I consider myself privileged to be alive for the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. One of my coworkers rolled her eyes and referred sarcastically to this obsession with the Titanic. Later on she said the movie was "just about her screwing around." It's not about the ship, dearie, or the movies, it's about the real stories of real people. If your lot wasn't so jaded and modernized you might realize that. Oh, and as for the movie, it's so much more than Rose and Jack. It's the story of every person who was there. And, I do like the fact that Rose takes Jack's name at the end and calls herself Rose Dawson.
Although if you want love stories on Titanic, look no further than Isidor and Ida Strauss. Mr. and Mrs. Strauss were in their 60s in 1912, and he was one of the owners of Macy's department store. Ida refused to leave her husband when the call for women and children to the boats was given. They were last seen sitting on deck chairs holding hands before they were swept away by rising water. I assume what is commonly referred to as "the old couple scene" in the movie (an older couple lying on a bed together as the water rushes in) is supposed to be Mr. and Mrs. Strauss. I can give you more, but I shall not belabor the point.
The point I was trying to make was how soon we forget. In the weeks leading up to the centennial, I was shocked at the number of people I saw on the internet that had no idea Titanic was a real event, they thought it was just a movie. My father said some of his students did not know it was a real event. One of the most famous, most tragic, and most costly (in monetary as well as human life) peacetime maritime disasters in history and you thought it was just a movie? My generation causes me to despair nearly every day, but this was worse than usual.
Moving on, the subject of anniversaries. As I said, I consider myself privileged to see the centennial of the Titanic. I hope, if I live that long, the world lasts that long, or if the Lord tarries ect. to see the Bicentennial of the siege of the Alamo in 2036. I will be in Texas that day, come the proverbial hell or high water.
On my Facebook page, I am currently covering the anniversary of the Falklands War. Thank goodness I caught it in time. And thank God he gave me open eyes and an inquisitive mind to follow the trail that began with a few sentences I saw in an old letter. If I knew then what I know now, I would have done my final project for Latin American History on the Falklands War (and my perspective would have discomfited my very liberal teacher) The Falklands War is rather dear to me at the moment because of its causes, it was almost an aftershock of the World Wars. Also, it is a highly controversial subject among the Lib Dems because they think the British were so evil and colonial and they were so cruel to the Argentinians who were just trying to take back what was theirs and Margaret Thatcher personally murdered each Argentinian that died. Whatever, they are more than welcome to go live in Argentina themselves.
Speaking of the World Wars, we are two years away from the 100 year anniversary of the War to End all Wars, World War I. In a way, it was more heinous and violent than its successor. People do not realize that this war, more than any other, practically changed the world overnight. Nearly 100 years of peace ended in a four year orgy of destruction and when the world woke from the nightmare, nothing would ever again be as it was. Take a look at the literature written immediately after. T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland is a good place to start.
There are no World War 1 veterans left alive, the last one died last year aged 110. Are we going to forget so quickly what must be remembered? The past is the key to the present. It is the key so we do not make past mistakes again. And it is the key because the past give us heroes. People to look up to, to emulate, stories that inspire us to act as they would have done in similar situations.
Semper Recordor
