Without a doubt the most historically significant day in the life of most Baby Boomers and, for many of us an emotional watershed, was November 22nd, 1963. The ray of light that had shined through the vail of adolescence, perhaps a defining moment for many of us, was the election of a young Catholic congressman from Massachusetts named John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Along with his youthful exuberance he brought to the White House a feeling of importance and purpose, not for the office he accended to, maybe not even for the divided country for which he took the reigns. He brought a spark of belief; belief that we as individuals had a duty to make a difference. We were called to action to not ask what our country could do for us, but what we could do for our country.
Change we did. We survived and put ice on an already Cold War, returning from the brink of nuclear elimination to defuse the arms race. To begin the righting of the ship of human rights. To conquer the last frontier and search for answers to questions unlimited by our earthly atmosphere. To question the justifications of war. To build an economy that became the envy of the world while allowing an upward path out of poverty for millions. To provide opportunities where there had been none, and perhaps most importantly, to send our citizens to all points of the globe to help others to help themselves.
Kennedy himself admitted that it wouldn't be accomplished in the first hundred days, nor the first thousand. Not within his term in office and possibly not within our lifetime. Though we may never see the fruits of our labors, he challenged us to take the first step.
It hasn't been perfect, or quick, painless or flawless, and it certainly is not complete. But I believe that historians will see the turmoil and strife of the sixties and seventies as the birthplace of civil reform that had a positive effect on the world.
A pawl was thrown over the nation that day in Dallas when a young president was felled by an assassin. The details may never be known and conspiracies will live on. The call to action could not be silenced however.
That light of hope shined bright on Inauguration Day and those of us who have perspective of time will have to admit that our society is better today as a result. The voice was silenced on Elm Street in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963, but it echoes to this day.
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
Thank you, Frog, for your thoughtful and touching homage to a president, a time, and a generation's sense of mission and relevance.
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