
I grow old… I grow old…
I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled
~ T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Hmmm, will those historical events have a lasting and positive legacy or prove to be only flash fires?
When I grow older (I am already old) and wear the bottom of my trousers rolled, I will look back at the landmark events that occurred during my lifetime to see if they inspired change or got lost in the dust of time. I will ask questions like:
How did Donald Trump get elected President of the United States not once but twice? One time could be considered a momentary lapse of judgment by American voters. The second time speaks to a deeper level of discontent and a clash of values virus (if I may use that term) that is eating away at a once great nation.
Will I look back and identify a date in time when the U.S.A. course corrected or was it a turning point that could not be reversed?
Was the #MeToo Movement a line in the sand that brought real change? The #MeToo Movement exploded in 2017 as sexual harassment and assault charges against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein hit the news. Widespread coverage of the movement led to the resignation or firing of numerous prominent figures accused of misconduct.
Will I look back and see that the movement made a lasting impact or regretfully died on the vine?
Did the Occupy Wall Street march bring an overhaul of the failing financial system? 1,000 people marched through the streets of New York City’s Financial District in September 2011 protesting income inequality and the influence of money in politics. Similar protests were launched in dozens of cities across the country.
Will I look back and find that the protest shifted the meter on income inequality or that the voices ultimately fell on deaf and insensitive ears?
Did the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting prove to be paradigm shifting? The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, in which 26 died, was the deadliest mass shooting in Connecticut history and the deadliest at an elementary school in U.S. history.
Will I look back and see that the shock waves from the shooting propelled real action on gun control in the years that followed or fizzled out as the shock wore off?
When I grow older and wear the bottom of my trousers rolled and reflect on such historical landmark, will I find that their legacies reshaped the future for the better? I certainly hope so. What a shame if they turn out to be fires that burned themselves out from the weight of indifference and apathy.
~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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Tags: gowing old · legacy · Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · T.S. EliotNo Comments.