[Welcome to our annual Guest Writer Series, a time in which we are intentional in listening to other voices. Know that AR may/may not agree with the perspective expressed. Know, too, that agreement is secondary to learning from others. Meet Guest Writer #5!]
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Most everyone who gets married in Western civilization in a religious ceremony hear pretty much the same words repeated by their clergy. Included in the dialogue is usually something about “richer or poorer” and “better or worse.” I have to believe like everyone else who gets married, I only heard the part about “better.” Surely the “worse” part would only be for others – right? This past June my wife and I celebrated our 40th year wedding anniversary. So I suppose that gives me license to make commentary on the better or worse pronouncement. We have seen and experienced both, either personally or with others close to us. However, some of the most significant things that affected us and the entire world were larger than personal.
In 1985 in the middle of the Reagan years and in the middle of New York City (NYC), 2 very nice 23 years old “kids” tied the knot. The wedding ceremony and the reception was a most traditional evening. We paid for most of the wedding through our own funding. The honeymoon that followed was fairytale like indeed. After that the world just seemed to change significantly. I write this not as someone who has studied history formally, but rather as someone who has paid attention to life’s many, diverse events. In some cases, some of the events that were seemingly worse have gotten better, while others that were better, have gotten worse. Some remain in the “wait and see” category.
One such event which I consider to be better today was the dual epidemic: the crack (cocaine) and AIDS plague which affected our entire society. Having lived in NYC during the 1980s, it seems these twin plagues hit the area pretty badly. The image of the neighborhood “crackheads” were prominent on street corners in many areas of the city. What was not seen were the many crack users who were using and still functioning in society. The “Just Say No” campaign made popular by First Lady Nancy Reagan did not end this crisis. But it did help to bring attention to a very serious problem in our society. More resources and education about addiction lessened the crack epidemic to today’s level. While not good, there is much more awareness. AIDS (the other part of the diabolical duo) or as it is usually coupled with the term HIV/AIDS was officially declared as an official condition in 1982 after many years of not properly defining what it was. HIV/AIDS, while certainly not eradicated, is now being controlled with education, drug and nutritional therapies to combat its effects. Having prominent people like Earvin “Magic” Johnson being diagnosed and bringing the ailment to being something that could affect anyone brought this into the understanding of not being just an isolated illness that affected only gay males. We were all vulnerable to this virus. The United Nations reports that today over 30 million people worldwide are being treated successfully against the virus.
One late Tuesday morning on January, 28 1986 right before lunch, the Space Shuttle “Challenger” exploded after launch. That day is a burnt indelible memory for me because I was working on Wall Street and everything stopped. We had a black and white TV in the computer room where I worked. Many crowded in to watch the news of this horrible event; it seemed like it was the worst moment for our space industry and our country. Fortunately, the Space Shuttle program resumed seemingly successfully until a similar fate happened to the Space Shuttle Columbia upon re-entry in February 2003. The space program has always been an iconic American success story despite some accidents over the years. The Space Shuttle program finally ended in 2011 much to my sadness. I found it exhilarating watching those launches whenever possible in the past. As a country we are now relying on other countries such as Russia to both take us into space as well as return us. That does not give me a good feeling to know we are so reliant on other countries — especially countries that may have hostile intent toward us. There is a new emergence of space programs such as SpaceX and Blue Origin with promises of further exploration. So I’m going to leave this one in the “wait and see”.
Of course, 9/11 is a defiant moment in every American life. We all woke up to what we thought could be the end of the world as we know it (to use a cliché). I think I can say without hesitation that this was the moment when our country felt militarily most vulnerable since Pearl Harbor. The subsequent wars in the Middle-East to quell those threats were mostly crushed militarily. We are concerned that many of the conditions that caused people to attack us might still be festering. The Middle East has always seemed to be the powder keg for many crisis around the world.
When I worked in the computer room on Wall Street in the early 80s, we use a large IBM 360 mainframe customer. The computer was described then as a super computer. I worked with a computer that took a whole room to house and maintain it. Apple introduced the Macintosh computer in a commercial during the 1984 Super Bowl game. Since then, computers and its electronic partners dominate our lives; in our home there are more computers, TVs and smart phones than there are people. That seems somewhat out of proportion, but I think that reflects most households in America. The new Artificial Intelligence (AI) concern brings both hope and concern of how this new phase in computer technology will affect our society. There is always the fear that “the machines are taking over.” I, for one, believe we can use this technology for our benefit. With this new technology, doctors can get quicker and faster diagnoses; weather forecasts can be more accurate; communication can be improved. I believe if we put in proper controls and checks and balances, it can be to our benefit as a society.
So there are a hundred other things I could have referenced over the past 40 years on this “better or worse” journey, but I just picked a few things that most can relate to on a personal level. I am an optimist by nature. Not in the rose-colored glasses version of an optimist, but I know every challenge can be mitigated with the right approach. So I choose to see the world for better. That is my hope and also my prayer.
Respectfully…
DG