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| Forty years gone, but not forgotten |
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| Written by Elizabette Guecamburu - Hometown Girl | |
| Friday, 29 August 2008 | |
 Elizabette Gueamburu / Hometown Girl For example, I have few memories of a time when there wasn’t a Bush or a Clinton in the White House. Although, I must admit, I do have a few scattered recollections of the 1988 presidential race — mainly because I thought Michael Dukakis should be the name of a character on the Smurfs. In the grand scheme of things, though, 40 years is a blip, a minute interval in the volume of human history. After all, England and France have waged wars against each other for longer than that, their heavy coats of armor surely dented and rusty from a century of arrows and cannon fire. But, be that as it may, 40 years can also herald change and progress in positive ways. We have seen such change now. In case you don’t have a calculator handy, 40 years ago was 1968. That year was an eventful one, by any standard — and I can’t help but find parallels to our own time. In addition to the tensions of the Vietnam War, domestic policies were changing rapidly. The Civil Rights movement was in full swing, spearheaded by the work and passion of Martin Luther King Jr. Even though King was assassinated that year, his cause lived on, culminating in the passage of an expansion to the Civil Rights Act. Science and technology were reaching new heights, with the first manned missions to space in NASA’s Apollo program. Forty years later, we are pressing ever farther, surpassing the moon to reach for the Martian landscape. Like our current year, 1968 was also a period embroiled in a presidential race. Spurned by an unpopular war in Vietnam and a desire for domestic progress, young Americans rose up and demanded change. It is easy to sense symmetry with our own time, for the war in Iraq and domestic crises have birthed one of the most historical presidential races in memory. Without question, 2008 could have never been possible if it wasn’t for the events of 1968. The years are linked by common goals and a drive to reach for all that we can be. Yet, while we reach forward, we still must be mindful of the past. As Winston Churchill said, “The further backward you look, the further forward you can see.” I, for one, am excited for what change lies ahead. And, in 40 years, what will the future say about 2008? Only time will tell. Elizabette Guecamburu is a writer and native Patterson resident. She accepts e-mails at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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