Paradigm shifts

If researching my book and its sequel have taught me nothing else, it's that history is not boring.

In fact, we are all LIVING history every day, most of us without even giving it a second thought (which is a shame). It doesn't hurt to think about posterity once in awhile.

Another thing I've learned is that there is history, and then there is HISTORY. The "all-caps" version indicates a paradigm shift. (i.e. The American Revolution, The Civil War, WWII.)

People of my generation were told that we were experiencing history in the making when Reagan and the pope got shot, when the Challenger exploded, and when we marked the beginning of a new millenium.

But, I don't think we ever experienced HISTORY first hand until 9/11/01.

Everything in our lives can be marked as happening either before or after that date. That's how big a deal it was and is.

Since the end of WWII, American society had been fortunate enough not to have a massive, cross-generational, paradigm-shifting, character-testing event. (The Cold War and Vietnam Era pale by comparison.)

We face such a challenge today with the ongoing war on terror.

And, HISTORY will judge us on how we confront this challenge.

So, will posterity.

Remember that as you commemorate what happened five years ago.