I recently listened to the audio version of Boom!, Tom Brokaw’s latest book, during my everyday driving. Therefore, I heard only short portions of it at a time which means I could ponder about what this bit of our national history (1963-1974) has meant to me. Like Brokaw I straddle two generations. I am shaped by the 1950s, but definitely defined by the 60s. The pivotal year during this time frame was 1968 - LBJ, RFK, MLK - and the 40th anniversary of it is being observed by the public media in a variety of ways. (Ex. Newsweek – November 19, 2007) So it was with personal interest I listened to Brokaw’s stories of both famous people and ordinary citizens in what he defines as a virtual reunion. He readily admits that the aftershocks of the 60s are not fully understood and that the verdict cannot yet be rendered about the effects of this time on our culture. However, the challenges and changes within this controversial era resound in our lives today and perhaps there are lessons that might guide us in the years ahead.
Boom! One minute it was Ike and the man in the grey flannel suit, and the next minute it was time to “turn on, tune in, drop out.” While Americans were walking on the moon, Americans were dying in Vietnam. Race, war, politics, feminism, popular culture, and music are all explored. Tom Brokaw analyzes how this formative decade has led to a recalibrated perspective–on business, the environment, politics, family, and our national existence.
In reflection, I understand much about the influence of the 60s on my life and on our nation. However, we still cry “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” . (Amos 5:24) Why?
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When my parents died recently, my sister-in-law cried out that the events of their lives were the hub of her life's wheel, and that she did not know what to do anymore. My brother pointed out that we all had no choice anymore but to become them by becoming the organizers, instigators and responsible workers of continuing events. It struck me immediately as the umbilical cut from the 60's in which our idealism and sense of justice cried out while we waited for the generation that was providing us the security and freedom to think so to carry out our wishes. The next few years had better see the early boomers jump to the forefront dragging our visions with us.
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