Stanley F. Bronstein – Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. (Abraham Lincoln)

Flashback

Many of my readers are probably not old enough to remember 1968 by virtue of having lived through it.  All you know of that “crazy”, incredibly difficult year is what you have read about it.

I want to take a few moments to discuss 1968 with you, as I feel this current year, 2008, has many similarities.

What Happened In 1968?

1968 has often been referred to by several names:

1968 – The year that changed history.

1968 – The year of revolution.

1968 – The year of chaos.

1968 – The year that rocked the world.

So, which was it?  The answer is it was all of them, AND SO MUCH MORE.

Here’s just a little “sampling” of events in 1968 (you can read more at Wikipedia if you like):

January 1968

TET Offensive Begins – The North Vietnamese begin a major attack on key cities in South Vietnam, including Saigon.  This offensive was the key “stroke” that began to “break the backs” of the American will to continue fighting in Vietnam.

Eartha Kitt – At a White House conference on crime, singer / actress Eartha Kitt denounces the Vietnam War to the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson while attending lunch.

February 1968

The Photo Seen Around The World - A Viet Cong officer is executed by the South Vietnamese National Police Chief and it was caught in a photograph by Eddie Adams.  This photo made headlines around the world and spoke volumes, all of which eventually caused U.S. opinion to turn against the Vietnam War.

Civil Rights Protests Begin Happening across the United States (and the world) - While I tend to focus on student protests that happened in the United States, the truth is they also were beginning to happen across the world, especially in Europe.

March 1968

Students Protest Against Dow Chemical Company – A large group of students at NYU protested against Dow Chemical Company sending recruiters to their campus to hire students.  They protested because Dow was the main manufacturer of napalm; the toxic chemical being used in theVietnam war.

My Lai Massacre in Vietnam – American troops kill a large amount of Vietnamese civilians.

Robert Kennedy Announces Candidacy for President

President Lyndon Johnson announces he will NOT run for reelection – President Johnson was probably one of the major casualties of the TET Offensive, as he basically realized he had had enough.

April 1968

Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated – This was one of those moments in your life where you will ALWAYS remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard about this.  A great man was truly lost.  Following news of his death, racial violence broke out in cities across the United States. – A major black leader was silenced.

Student protests begin on campuses across the United States and even spread to Europe

The movie – 2001: A Space Odyssey premieres – I still remember going to see this movie as a 9 year old child.  I was fascinated (although I didn’t understand it nearly as well as I do now).

Congress passes and President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968 – A landmark for civil rights in the United States (truly a turning point in our history).

June 1968

Robert Kennedy is assassinated – Just after announcing that he had won the California primary (meaning there was a good chance he would have probably gotten the Democratic nomination for President of the US), Kennedy was shot and killed.  A major white leader was silenced.

August 1968

Chicago – Democratic National Convention – During the entire convention, anti-war protesters clashed with Chicago police.  This event garnered national media attention.

October 1968

Mexico City Olympics – 10 days before the start of the Olympics, a student protest demonstration ends with a bloodbath.  The world is watching.

Black Power Salute During the Olympics – American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, raise their arms in a “black power salute” after winning medals in the Olympic 200 meter run.  This causes a major controversy.

November 1968

Richard Nixon (Republican) defeats Hubert Humprey (Democrat) by the smallest margin in US history

The Heidi Football Game – Just to show you how much people were looking for a diversion, NBC cut off the final minute of the Oakland Raiders / New York Jets football came to show the already scheduled broadcast of Heidi. Fans were outraged as they missed an “electrifying” come from behind victory by the Oakland Raiders.  These fans inundate the telephone switchboards of NBC and NBC changes its policy to “never do that again.”

December 1968

Now, for the biggest event during the entire year; an event that was not intentionally timed, but could not have come at a better time in the history of the world.

Apollo 8 Astronauts Speak to the WORLD on Christmas Eve – I realize that many people in the world do not celebrate Christmas, but let’s leave that aside for the moment.  The beauty was in their message and in the timing of when it was delivered.

During some of the darkest moments; during the times when many people were filled with despair, the Apollo 8 astronauts sent a message to the entire Earth, as a whole.  They read a message from the book of Genesis and ended it with a blessing to ALL the people on the good Earth.

What they did was so poignant, as it showed us (FOR POSSIBLY THE FIRST TIME), that the Earth is small and insignificant.

Just look at the picture at the top of this post.  It shows an “earthrise”  with the moon in the foreground and the Earth in the background.  It shows the Earth is just a “blue marble” and we are obviously all people on that same marble.

You can listen to an audio of their recording by clicking here.

You can read a transcript of their recording by clicking here.

So, What’s My Point?

2008 has been a “crazy” year.  There has been more economic upheaval in this world than anytime in my life (and probably since the 1930′s.

Many people are losing their jobs; they are losing their homes.  They are losing everything that held them together.

One interesting parallel between 2008 is Barack Obama, the president-elect of the United States.  No matter your politics; no matter who you preferred in the US election; one thing is clear (at least to me).  Barack Obama is almost like a cross between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy.  It’s almost as if the 2 of theme were coming back, combined as one, just for the purpose of running for the US presidency.

What will happen remains to be seen, BUT here’s my point.

There is hope; things will get better.  We all have to just hang in there and help each other as best we can.

The good times WILL come again.  If the world could survive 1968, it can certainly survive 2008.

What Do You Think?

What do you think about these thoughts? Please share your comments below.

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