Fifty years ago today, a supreme act of evil found its mark and extinguished a glowing fire of hope as the bullet of hate felled its target. On that ill-fated day - November 22, 1963 - the shot that pierced the collective
consciousness of the world carried a shroud of darkness that enveloped us
all. The great leader of the free world
became a martyr to the cause and the world mourned, not only for the man, but
for itself. His years in office were not
an age of utopia, for such was a fool’s fancy, but it was a time of hope, it
was a period of great expectations, it was an era that showcased the best of
America - its encompassing leadership, its enviable grace and class, the richness of its history and the refinement of its culture. The bullet that shattered his
mortal shell ricocheted full circle and demolished humanity’s hopes and dreams for a better world. Those hopes, those dreams, could only be pinned
on the lapel of a true leader, but one such man only came once in a
lifetime. Much too early he was snatched
away, leaving us in the throes of loss
and pain, by an assassin’s bullet. In one swift, abominable second of supreme
hate, the mortal became immortal and all
that was left was our bitter-sweet recollection of those “years of lightning,
day of drums”.
From the outset, his presidency was one that exemplified selfless service. "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country", was not an empty rhetoric to garner undeserved approbation from an obsequious world. It was his mantra, his own brand of progressivism, a call to undo the shackles of poverty and usher in self- sufficiency for the countries of the third world. Through his "Alliance for Progress", he deployed an army of volunteers, the peace corps, that brandished, not the weapons of war, but the brawn, intelligence, and might of America as well as its spirit of generosity and goodwill. And with that uncommon style of leadership, a reluctant world that prized action more than the ring of empty words was won. But it was not to last. For Dallas was waiting.
From the outset, his presidency was one that exemplified selfless service. "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country", was not an empty rhetoric to garner undeserved approbation from an obsequious world. It was his mantra, his own brand of progressivism, a call to undo the shackles of poverty and usher in self- sufficiency for the countries of the third world. Through his "Alliance for Progress", he deployed an army of volunteers, the peace corps, that brandished, not the weapons of war, but the brawn, intelligence, and might of America as well as its spirit of generosity and goodwill. And with that uncommon style of leadership, a reluctant world that prized action more than the ring of empty words was won. But it was not to last. For Dallas was waiting.
JFK - we still feel the loss. Today, let us pause and
remember him and what he tried to offer: true hope that we swaddle inside the sparkling package of legends; optimism, that go beyond wishful thinking and wrapped in the assuring cloak of competent leadership. We still feel our loss because our hope for a better world remains elusive, something no one seems unable to fully restore in the heart and mind of humanity after it was left bludgeoned and incapacitated by the bullet of hate on November 22, 1963. Are we just left with the dying embers of that raging fire of hope, that one shining, "Camelotian" moment? We can only keep our fingers crossed.
JFK, we salute you - the man, the leader, the hero, our one brief, shining moment of hope!
JFK, we salute you - the man, the leader, the hero, our one brief, shining moment of hope!
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