Where Were You When . . .

One of my earliest memories -- perhaps even the earliest -- is watching John F. Kennedy's funeral procession. I was barely three years old, but I clearly remember seeing it on the old black-and-white television in our basement. For my parents' generation, that was the big question: Where were you when Kennedy was shot? I don't remember the assassination, just the funeral. The next major event I recall is the end of the Viet Nam War. I was twelve (I think) and on a Girl Scout camping trip. When we heard the news, we started singing some song about peace. I don't remember the song, just the news. Of course there were other big moments that stand out in my memory, but the next big one was September 11, 2001. I think that for my children, especially the younger two, and their generation, that is their "Kennedy assassination". As my youngest and I sat watching a classic basketball game last week, his first words when he saw the date (it was late spring 2001) were, "They didn't know about 9/11 yet." He was in third grade in 2001.

I'm thinking about this now because this newly maturing generation has too many violent points of reference to keep track of. As I type this, I am watching news of three "possibly related violent incidents" in London. Less than two weeks ago, the news was a terrorist attack at a concert that killed at least twenty (mostly) young people. A few months ago, it was another driver blasting into another crowd in London. In the meantime, there have been less-reported but equally horrible attacks and events. Last year it was the Pulse Nightclub shooting. (I happened to pass by the Club a few days ago when going from one end of Orlando to the other, trying to avoid I-4. Memorials still stand, although I didn't see anyone there.)

What effect will this have on this generation, or on any of us for that matter? How many times can they and we process horror and death? Will our children and their children ever know the relative peace my generation knew for so many years? I can't attempt to answer any of those questions. If there is one positive for most younger people, I would say it's that they tend to watch less news. Maybe I'm overgeneralizing, and I'm not saying (exactly) that ignorance is bliss, but knowledge-delayed might make it a bit easier to deal with. I, on the other hand, am always torn between staying glued to the news as a situation unfolds and turning off the news until more facts are known. The former usually wins, if I'm not working. I'm sure I'm not alone in that dilemma.