For a small amount of perspective during these crazy times, imagine you were an American born in 1900. When you are 14, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday with 22 million people killed. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20. Fifty million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.
When you're 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet.
When you're 41, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war and the Holocaust kills six million. At 52, the Korean War starts and five million perish.
At 64 the Vietnam War begins, and it doesn’t end for many years. Four million people die in that conflict. Approaching your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, could well have ended. Great leaders prevented that from happening.
As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? A kid in 1985 didn’t think their 85 year old grandparent understood how hard school was. Yet those grandparents (and now great grandparents) survived through everything listed above.
Perspective is an amazing art. Let’s try and keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and we will get through all of this. In the history of the world, there has never been a storm that lasted. This too, shall pass.
Thanks Bob
'Nam had been going on from 1/1/45 when Uncle Ho declared his intent to take over Indo-China by first ousting the French (technically, he started at the Versailles conference by wanting the Allies to give him Indo-China). Vietnamization and the gradual pullout of American troops began in '69 and ended in '73.
ReplyDeleteThe war "ended" with a massive panzer blitz by North Vietnam (equipment provided by the Russians) which was applauded by smiling Democrats all over Capitol Hill.
PS They don't mention the 53 million killed by Stalin, the 6 million murdered in the course of the Vietnam War and its aftermath, or the 67 million murdered by Mao.
And some other shit will take its place
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