"1968"
The burning of bras, assassinations, preparations for a visit to the moon, riots in Chicago, college campus's chaotic beyond all understanding, the Vietnam war. On and on we can go for anyone who wants to take a look back in time to the events and the culture that surrounded us in the year full of rebellion, marked as 1968. Me, well I was a five year old boy whose only care was to throw his baseball with his dad and to sometimes stay up late and watch the Ed Sullivan show on CBS. Little did I know what was going on around me. Maybe that was a good thing because what was going on for the entire decade of the 1960's I think was totally un- acceptable for a 30 year old man to hear and see let alone a five year old boy who was growing up in Lodi, New Jersey. They say the first five years of a child's life defines their character and can influence them well into their old age. I guess that is why I write this chapter today, because no matter when I reflect upon my life it is of this time in history that I remember. 
Maybe not so much the riots in Chicago at the Democratic Convention, maybe not so much the woman's movement protesting at the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, or the murders of Robert Kennedy in LA, California and Martin Luther King. in Memphis, TN. Maybe I can't remember quite clearly all these tragic events in sight or clear vision. But I believe in my spirit, that all those who were alive during this chaotic time were affected in a way that they probably don't even know or are aware of, even today. When I look back at this time from a spiritual stand point it is almost as if God had let Satan have his way. Why do I say that? Because this period of time starting from its origin began with such promise and ended with nothing but tragedy. A newly elected President, who just three short years later would be gunned down in Dallas, a war that was predicated on lies and continued with more lies, a civil rights movement that was filled with un-precedented violence and the eventual assassination of its leader, Martin Luther King Jr. And what about a woman's movement that has led to households being destroyed because woman wanted to be treated more ‘fairly’. Now I want to make sure that my point is made clear here and there is no room for error on what I am trying to convey in this chapter. First, I believe every human being that God has created has the same rights and should always be able to exercise them. No matter what their skin color or gender may be, they all should be treated equally. I also want to make clear that being lied to by our leaders in government no matter what the decade or time is a tragedy. Innocent lives are being affected when we do not have the truth to make the right and proper decisions. It is important that I convey this that no one gets offended here. What I am saying when I look at this from a spiritual eye sight, I see a country replete with rebellion and murder and lies during this time period. The Bible states that Satan is a murderer, and the father of all lies and there is no truth in him. He is also the ultimate rebel and according to the word of God is proud of it. And if everything is spiritual as Ephesians 6-11-12 states in the word of God the spirit that was leading this generation was not of peace and love, nor filled with any truth. Why is this so important today, nearly 40 years later? I believe it is important in the sense that the leaders of today were children like myself back in this time. We saw what we saw. If you are honest with yourself and you are around my age you just can't help but try and understand who you are and where you truly came from. Back in the 1950's the divorce rate in this country for all families was nearly 10 percent. After 1973 it started to rise and by the end of the decade had reached an astonishing number of over 50 per cent in our country. Could the women's movement have affected this number in 1968? I mean in one way, who could blame the women of this world to want to be treated fairly? I can't blame them and if I were to I would have to hold the male establishment just as guilty for not treating them right in the first place causing them to want to break away from a male dominated society. I cannot judge these women nor could I feel their pain. But I do know this it affected the children that were being raised back then. The days of coming home and having two parents there to have dinner at night were soon to be coming to an end. It seems when we look back from where we are today that the families have lost their values. God’s Word is very clear about how He established the family and the specific roles each person is to fulfill. (It’s all spelled out in the first few chapters of Genesis. I invite you to spend a few minutes reading those words from God, even if you think you are familiar with them.) It may sound a little harsh but the days of the "Wonder Years " were coming to a finish. The other day I was out with my buddies. We stopped to have a drink and something to eat. One of my friends starting naming all of our other friends that he could think of, and asked if there was anyone that we know that was not divorced, at least once. When we finished we had come to the determination that only two out of twenty had not been. And the saddest thing of all is that every one of us had kids. I don't know, but its kind of sad isn't it? Whether you are a 41 year old woman in California or a 43 year old male in PA, who never have been divorced., it kind of breaks your heart knowing all the pain that is out there and tragedy that sits upon half of the American families who have become a part of this statistic. I guess what it all comes down to for me, is this. I believe when I look back in time during this period that we were a country steeped in rebellion, Political unrest, Civil Rights protests, women burning bras, war and peace marches with violence, ‘Free love’, and assassinations. I mean, maybe we were rebelling and some of us had good reasons to, but I often wonder if JFK would have been President for 8 years and then his brother Bobby would have taken over the office what the difference might have been. I often think if the world would have been a kinder place and if people of all color would have been treated more fairly. Maybe woman wouldn't have had to burn their bras and walk around with live sheep on a leash and leave their husbands to prove that they mattered and were loved. And that the social and political climate of our great society was based on love for your fellow man and truth. Maybe I ask to much and a better place and environment to be raised in. When I think about it I really can't do much about what happened in 1968. All I can hope for is to learn from this period of time in history. And that, in a sense can help me understand why we are the way we are today, a little better. And that, with the grace of God, will lead us to another day. A day that hopefully is full of love, peace, joy and truth. All fruit of God's Spirit. Only the good Lord knows for sure. For me, my prayer is that as a Nation, we learn from the past and from our mistakes and humble ourselves before the God we claim to trust in, before we reap the full harvest of what we have sown. Lord have mercy.
Al
Chapter 10