Do People Who Live Through Historic Events Even Realize It?

I am guessing I am not the only one who has strange thoughts pop in his head in the middle of the night.  Like a carousel of strange, my brain cycles through thoughts about everything from cocktails that I need to try, to concerns about my kids’ education, to wondering if there was a deeper meaning to the movie “Dumb and Dumber”.

The other night, as I laid there thinking about all that has happened in the last year, I started to wonder about people that had been through other momentous historic events.

Almost everyone can name three or four huge events that changed the world.  The Revolutionary War, World War I, World War II, the assassination of JFK, the civil rights movement, the Moon landing, 9/11…

What I really wanted to know was whether or not the people who lived through those events knew they were living through such “unprecedented” times.  Obviously, as you are busy living your life, immersed in the situation, it is difficult to comprehend all that is going on around you.  But, did those people ever have the chance to take a step back and realize the events they were living would change the world forever?

Having lived through the September 11^th terrorist attacks, I do not recall ever thinking about how the world was changing.  Living in a townhouse in Bangor at the time, my roommates and I watched the non-stop news coverage for days.  And, when I was not able to be in front of a TV, I had the news on the radio or a news network website on my computer.  In the weeks that followed that terrible Tuesday, we did see a lot of changes sweep across the country.  We saw displays of patriotism like none of us had ever seen before, we saw new laws, and major changes in security.  But, even though it was, I never felt as though the world was changing.

This time is different, though.  Probably because of the length of the current crisis, I have had a chance to step back and take stock of the on-going situation.  I have had time to really think about the events of the last, all the changes we have been through, and how life may never really get back to the way it was during the first few months of 2020.

What about you?  When did you realize the world was changing forever?  Let us know by messaging us through our app or on Facebook.