I feel sorry for the children of today who are not allowed to roam their little worlds...so much is lost in terms of discovery, independence, and learning about life and how to grow. I understand the desire to protect your children from the evils of the world, but at what cost?
From Peter: Looking forward to seeing how you connect the dots to the inevitability and catastrophe that is Trump. I lived it but the context you provide is helping me understand it in a new way. Thank you!
Very emotional read. I wonder if being in London gives you a perspective and a clarity you might not have had had you remained there? My first awareness of international news was the death of JFK. I was at the cinema in Johannesburg with my parents and they announced it at the end of the film.
I remember when I let my 9 year old son take the underground home from school in London some people were horrified. A friend of my mothers who was a New Yorker told me that her children had wandered around New York as you describe. Look forward to the next chapter.
First national news impact I can remember. The first home I remember was a house off Broadway in South Nyack, NY. The house had been moved to its current location to make way for the interstate crossing on the Tappan Zee Bridge. There were fewer than a dozen houses on this little street that abutted the train to Pearl River. The only kid my age lived the next street over and so I had few interactions with parents on my street. I was almost ten during the Cuban Missile Crisis and much of that changed. The parents that I only ever saw going to work or yelling at their kids all of sudden seemed very nervous. (On the hills behind us was a Nike base that would certainly have been a target.) Parents that had seemed gruff were now very affectionate with their children. Everyone was so serious. I was middle aged before I understood just how close we had come to a nasty outcome. My elementary school was at the top of the hill and I remember the bomb drills. We were less than a mile from the Nike base so we'd have been vaporized but we still did the duck and cover although ours were in the hallways with our heads between our knees.
Well said Michael. My experience has been very similar to yours but, alas, I am not nearly so eloquent.
I feel sorry for the children of today who are not allowed to roam their little worlds...so much is lost in terms of discovery, independence, and learning about life and how to grow. I understand the desire to protect your children from the evils of the world, but at what cost?
So beautifully written and evocative. Thanks so much for this.
From Peter: Looking forward to seeing how you connect the dots to the inevitability and catastrophe that is Trump. I lived it but the context you provide is helping me understand it in a new way. Thank you!
Very emotional read. I wonder if being in London gives you a perspective and a clarity you might not have had had you remained there? My first awareness of international news was the death of JFK. I was at the cinema in Johannesburg with my parents and they announced it at the end of the film.
I remember when I let my 9 year old son take the underground home from school in London some people were horrified. A friend of my mothers who was a New Yorker told me that her children had wandered around New York as you describe. Look forward to the next chapter.
First national news impact I can remember. The first home I remember was a house off Broadway in South Nyack, NY. The house had been moved to its current location to make way for the interstate crossing on the Tappan Zee Bridge. There were fewer than a dozen houses on this little street that abutted the train to Pearl River. The only kid my age lived the next street over and so I had few interactions with parents on my street. I was almost ten during the Cuban Missile Crisis and much of that changed. The parents that I only ever saw going to work or yelling at their kids all of sudden seemed very nervous. (On the hills behind us was a Nike base that would certainly have been a target.) Parents that had seemed gruff were now very affectionate with their children. Everyone was so serious. I was middle aged before I understood just how close we had come to a nasty outcome. My elementary school was at the top of the hill and I remember the bomb drills. We were less than a mile from the Nike base so we'd have been vaporized but we still did the duck and cover although ours were in the hallways with our heads between our knees.
This is wonderful stuff Michael - I’m in!
hello - i look forward to print copy if possible.....this computer reading is beyond me....
...best SRS