…And the Political Is Personal!
“What’s past is prologue” — William Shakespeare
I’m a person of a certain age. It’s my favorite euphemism to describe my baby boomer status and lived experience. I’m 76-years-old, living my eighth decade. As I’ve leaned into grief and said goodbye to colleagues, friends, and family who have died, I’ve both reminisced about our shared lived experiences and reflected on the cycles of life, recognizing, “What’s past is prologue,” and “What goes around, comes around.” I ask this question, “Have we learned from our experiences, or are we doomed to repeat them?”
In my lifetime, I’ve lived through these historical (and hysterical) events including the Red Scare, Lavender Menace, AIDS Epidemic, Rainbow Scare, the COVID-19 Pandemic, and countless conspiracies (Q-ANON, Pizzagate, election conspiracies during both of Trump’s terms as President, and the list goes on). This is the world we now live in.
Full disclosure: This is an opinion piece. I consider myself a citizen journalist as I write and reflect on my life. Continue reading