Thursday, February 21, 2013
Birthday Mayhem Thursday
Today I turn 50 years old. That's a big one.
In some ways I am torn by that. It seems impossibly old, somehow, and I'm not quite sure how this happened so fast. Still, I also am very happy to find myself where I am at this age.
The world has changed remarkably in the past 50 years. If I were to list the most significant world events in the last 50 years, these would be the top 3, in no particular order:
-- The Falling of the Berlin Wall
It is hard to imagine a better symbol for a political development. The fall of the Berlin wall was a tiny part in a large restructuring: The end of the cold war. When I was a child, we were taught to live in fear of nuclear war by a cartoon turtle who showed us how to "duck and cover" under our desk during a nuclear attack. It was both absurd and terrifying. What a different, and better, world it is now!
-- Racial Reconciliation
This has to be on the list, and I want it to wrap up both what has gotten better in the US (there is more to do) and remarkable developments abroad, such as the peaceful change in government in South Africa. What a different, and better, world it is now!
-- The Development of the Internet
The internet has knit together the world, brought down oppressive governments, freed information and knowledge from cost and censorship, and even made the Razor possible. What a different, and better, world it is now!
What would you add to this list?
Comments:
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Happy birthday. Celebrate your passion. Appreciate those who have inspired you. Have compassion for those who have disappointed you. Acknowledge your successes and strive to accomplish your dreams. Continue, as you always have, to find the good in people. Life is messy and it need not be perfect. It just needs to be true. If your last 50 years are any indication of what you can accomplish, I am looking forward to the next 50.
# posted by 
: 12:41 AM
: 12:41 AM
Completion of the Human Genome Project. A massive effort that will bring a world of change to medicine as we know it. Happy Birthday Prof!
Well so glad you have joined the club. With regard to the internet - at least 4 places on my computer reminded me that today is your birthday.
You forgot to mention cable television - it came to Colonial Road in the winter of 1981 (I think). At my age I am becoming forgetful;)
You forgot to mention cable television - it came to Colonial Road in the winter of 1981 (I think). At my age I am becoming forgetful;)
Happy birthday! We can all celebrate the fact that we have had the benefit of having you in our world for a half-century!
One thing I'd add to your list is growing gender equality. I remember as a child in the 1960s being told the only jobs I could have were secretary, teacher or nurse - and I would have to give my job up when I had children. Instinctively, I knew I would be a horrible secretary, teacher or nurse. Luckily, by the 1980s when I entered the workforce, things had changed, for me and all women. We still have a way to go -- too many countries/societies/cultures in our world still discriminate against women -- but we've come very far.
One thing I'd add to your list is growing gender equality. I remember as a child in the 1960s being told the only jobs I could have were secretary, teacher or nurse - and I would have to give my job up when I had children. Instinctively, I knew I would be a horrible secretary, teacher or nurse. Luckily, by the 1980s when I entered the workforce, things had changed, for me and all women. We still have a way to go -- too many countries/societies/cultures in our world still discriminate against women -- but we've come very far.
Fifty years ago I didn't have any children, grandchildren or daughter in laws. All great changes.
The acceleration of carbon caused climate change is the scariest story of the last fifty years and the next fifty tears. It is the greatest challenge and opportunity we have faced.
The brightest story is that we have lived in a time when more conflicts were resolved without war, including South Africa, than in the previous fifty years.
In the last 50 years my son, Mark, has started to grow out of childhood.
Happy Birthday, Dad
The acceleration of carbon caused climate change is the scariest story of the last fifty years and the next fifty tears. It is the greatest challenge and opportunity we have faced.
The brightest story is that we have lived in a time when more conflicts were resolved without war, including South Africa, than in the previous fifty years.
In the last 50 years my son, Mark, has started to grow out of childhood.
Happy Birthday, Dad
Feliz cumple, profe! Hope you are having a very happy birthday--big 50. Best wishes. The Medievalist
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