Friday, September 1, 2006

The Forces That Shape Us

It was 67 years ago today that Germany invaded Poland, setting into motion the second world war. Some of us were alive to witness this, but all of us have been profoundly shaped by it.

World War II was a seminal event in the lives of our parents and grandparents, and its force was amplified by the Great Depression of the 1930s. As distant as these events may seem to us, they are indelibly imprinted on our character--not just as Americans, but as human beings. There may have been direct effects--my father was in the Army during the war, and met my mother as a result of her attending a U.S.O. function.

But there is an effect on all of us, because our parents and grandparents made countless life decisions based on the experience and effects of the war. History is not just an academic subject. It is a living part of us.

No comments: