The golden age of documentaries gets me thinking

I celebrated my 71st birthday this past Monday, and have been watching a number of documentaries on big events in American history, all of which occurred about 50 years ago. I wasn't a key part of any of these events, other than listening to the music and seeing TV reports five decades ago, but there is something about being reminded of how much things have changed -- or not changed -- within my little slice of human history.

Last night we watched "Summer of Soul," on Hulu, which combined footage of a six-weekend series of concerts in a park in Harlem that brought thousands of black people together to enjoy music and political speeches and black culture in 1969. Woodstock overshadowed the event, and I'm sure I knew nothing about it. Oh, and we landed on the moon that summer. There were a lot of things going on, as always, so that's my excuse.

Some people may think of these historical documentaries to be merely reminders of youth or ways to escape our current problems, but I am constantly thinking, "Wow! Most of the issues that challenged America fifty years ago are still plaguing us today." 

Racism. Economic injustice. Generational fighting. Slimy politics. Immigration. 

I would never argue that NOTHING has changed, but we are certainly on a long and winding road toward a better country and world. 

One of my classroom rules was "act right." I never really had to explain that to students. Everyone sort of knew what the general expectations for behavior were, though there were times when I had to review some basics.

Most of the time, most people simply "act right," as far as I can tell. We just need to keep working to reduce the number of times people miss that basic mark.

One minor benefit of age is coming to realize that life is full of "not quite" policies, along with disappointments, unexpected jolts, and excruciatingly slow progress (and regression). Or maybe we just get worn down and a bit tired.

So my latest birthday did not produce an epiphanies or open my eyes to new ideas. But I do have "new eyes," so to speak.

Maybe I should do something with that.