Tears of a Thousand Years
On the night John F.
Kennedy Jr. died, the weather system, which was the probable cause of Kennedy's
fatal piloting error, developed into a severe storm over
Others ask why. Permit me
to explain.
It has been reported the
name John-John was disdained by John F. Kennedy Jr. But we, the faceless public,
all loved to call him that. Only his sister and mother could have probably have
used the nickname without suffering a look of disapproval. This is quite
understandable for a man intent on establishing himself outside the realm of
cute.
It is just as
understandable why the rest of us continued to use it. It seemed so easy going
and full of fun. A fitting name for someone who was the closest thing to
"Prince" the
For those of us who have
known John-John since his birth, he seemed the very embodiment of the Kennedy
administration. The Kennedy Presidency seemed to be born and grow with him from
infancy to toddler. We watched with something approaching wonder as new life
seemed to barge in and takeover the public arena pushing itself, in sometimes
unwelcome ways, into our own lives. Most people today do not know how different
the world of 1960 was.
As the youngest President
ever elected he represented a new generation coming to power. A heroic
generation baptized in war and affirmed by victory. Not only a new generation
came to power, the force of Kennedy political skills had forged a new and
significant political coalition. It was an exciting time when all was fresh and
new. John-John became the unofficial symbol of this new vigor because he was
born in that special time every new President has between election and
inauguration when all things seem possible. As he grew so grew the President
into his office, fitfully and with difficulty, because growth is never easy,
but grow he did until he burst the bounds of history into a truly New Frontier.
He felt first the sting of
defeat in
JFK was brought to the
realization, by his brother, that Civil Rights were a just cause. This was a
watershed moment in American history, and perhaps
world history as well. It was the death knell of Jim Crow South and led to
liberation not only blacks but also the spirit of the South itself. He sought
to wash the stain of racism from the American flag. The forces of change were
inspired by his willingness to risk all for the nobility of this cause. That he
had to pay the price for his courage surprised very few, but the ambitions he
had empowered could not be stopped. If the stain of racism still exists it has
faded considerably from those days of open hatred and fear when bigotry was
codified in law as well practice. One reason Kennedy is revered today is
because of his pivotal role in draining a swamp of bile from the Nation's
heartland and letting loose the talents of the oppressed. It was love in him we
saw when he was with John-John, and it was this evident love that consoled our
doubts about his leadership.
Kennedy challenged our
nation with his ambition and we rose splendidly to meet his challenges. When he
announced a plan to go to the moon we smiled with cynicism but we did it. Don't
we look back in nostalgia at a time when our leaders had enough confidence in
us to ask the impossible, instead of being asked only to indulge the over
indulged. The world knew we had greatness in us because of our excited and
fruitful responses to his challenges. He instilled his ambition in our national
consciousness and we gained confidence and strength as result. If that strength
was squandered in
Then there was the
assassination itself. Few historical events are more widely known by the
general public. Even today's youth have been saturated with the dark waters of
speculation, which continue to swirl around this event. For those who are old
enough to remember, no one can forget. Almost nothing moved on the roads for
the three days it took to bury the President. During those cold November days
it was if the oxygen had been sucked out of the nation's air. The three great
political assassinations of the sixties began in those high contrast, black and
white images. As a boy who had just turned fourteen 10 days before I watched in
real time, as Jack Ruby fired shots into Oswald. Many of my generation felt at
that moment we were being denied the truth. The truth was killed on live TV,
before our young eyes. Who can deny it? This was our rite of passage into the
political system. It only became worse. For many of my generation this was the
beginning of a culture of distrust, bitterness, and alienation that still
affects us today. The three great political assassinations of the sixties took
away the leadership of a generation and led to the schism in American society,
which exists in the present day as a youth culture. This culture can trace its
beginnings to this black hole of history. It is a brave but formless rebellion
woven into the fabric of our culture. Trust, a component of happiness, the
product of truth, was shattered. When John-John stepped forward to salute his
father's casket, we all knew in dark recesses of our souls, he was a symbol of
innocence forever lost.
The tragic death of John
Jr., his lovely wife and her sister, reminded us of shock his father's death
had produced some thirty-six years before. In a country which is always looking
forward this incident bracketed thirty-six years of the past. This included our
own individual past as well as the history of the nation. For those of us who
have followed the Kennedy banner it could only make us feel that life would
have been better if not for the assassination. We were once again shocked and
saddened so much light could be put out so quickly. It is obvious the country
really hasn't buried the New Frontier or the spirit John Jr. and all the
Kennedy's seem to symbolize. We are sorry about John-John but we weep for
something deeper, a spirit John-John seemed to carry in his very being given to
him personally for safe keeping by an adoring father.
For a nation, which has
seemed to become saturated with cynicism, from Jerry Springer to Monica
Lewinsky, the sentimentalism expressed is surprising, fundamental, and hopeful.
It seems as if we held a widow's watch lo these many years unbeknownst to
ourselves. John JR's death connects us to a time in history when we were called
upon to become worthy of being a great nation. We have become that great nation
yet we now face the millennium with feelings of uncertainty about our destiny
in it. We suddenly find ourselves lost and grief-stricken in an awful national
flash back, stretching over thirty-six years of this nation's history. On the
verge of the millennium perhaps it is well we are reminded we should grieve.
But grieve not only for our loss of today, but also for all the dead of this
great and terrible century and millennium. There have been injustices and
murder most terrible these last thousand years. Whether or not this will
continue or diminish in the next thousand years is a responsibility we must
continue to try and face.
We should mourn the loss of
innocence John Jr. symbolized. It is mourning worthy the son of a great
chieftain. That he could prosper and thrive with his burdens, gave us all
confidence in our ultimate ability to carry our own burdens. As difficult and
unfair as his fate may have been, he carried on as gracefully as any prince we
ever knew. Isn't this the ultimate duty of aristocracy, to soldier on and
return grace from the grace bestowed on them by the people themselves, a
reservoir of civility for use in times of social crisis? To appreciate and
return the strength of each other is to survive as a civil society. This symbol
of national strength was torn from our consciousness and we feel the loss.
In honor of the depth of
feeling this dark event has produced, let us put aside the meanness, forgo our
petty hatreds, and kneel with humility before all that has gone before. Let us
cover our faces and cry out against injustice. Weep and mourn until we can bear
it no longer. Then cry again. Cleanse our souls with sorrow and purge our
hearts with the tears of a thousand years. Then maybe we can hope the coming
millennium will not hold so many tears as the last. Let us feel the pain of
Abraham that we might understand the mercy of God and appreciate the great
gifts he has given us as a nation. It will gain us favor if we discover the
transcendence of this tragedy. The Kennedy's will be honored by what the deaths
of their sons have provoked. They never sought veneration but we should
venerate the feelings of connection we have with them.
As the last hope of Camelot
fades from memory let us remember the legend of Camelot endured over a thousand
years before it was resurrected by Jackie. It will endure another thousand
years because as the death of John reminded us, there is no assassin who can
ever kill, dreams of justice held deeply within the human heart.
TED
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