MOMENTOUS TIMES

WE ARE PARTICIPANTS

As I begin to type, I do not know what I might say, or the title. I just know I have something to say. Perhaps the title should be simply (?).

The title and subject just came to me — you see it above. Funny how often this happens. It is like taking a step before you know if there is something solid where your foot will land. How solid it will be remains to be seen.

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I suppose most generations think of their times as important, even momentous. Certainly during times of war, social upheaval, assignations of prominent leaders, the term applies. The twentieth century brought us a number of momentous times. But, now is different.

Well, I suppose each generation believes their time is “different, more momentous”. True, during the Second World War our nation hung in the balance, as did civilization as we know it. The Cold War, with the threat of nuclear Armageddon (the Cuban missile crisis) was legitimately a momentous time.

So, what makes our time “more momentous”?

Nuclear Armageddon still lurks with Putin, but it doesn’t feel as threatening as did the Cuban missile crisis. Then, my Dad started smoking again and packed the trunk of our car with canned goods.

Climate crisis has begun, bringing catastrophic suffering. Political unrest in our nation has grown to crisis stage, threatening the very fabric of our nation with civil war, or revolution.