Pull up a chair and settle in while I spin a yarn about 2008. The story actually begins 20 years into the future (visualize a clock advancing rapidly) .......
It's 11 PM on New Year's Eve, in the year 2028. You're sitting by a crackling fire (a fake one, of course, since wood-burning fireplaces were outlawed a decade ago) in your favorite antique rocking-chair with a grandchild snuggled up in your lap. The dog is snoozing at your feet. The mortgage is finally paid-off, the world is peaceful, and life is good.
Just as you begin to nod off, the young girl, still wide awake, looks up at you, and asks: "Tell me a story, Grandma. (Or Grandpa, as the case may be). Tell me about the olden days, back when you were young. Can you remember what it was like, say, 20 years ago?"
You start to perk up. "Let me see, twenty years ago, that was 2008. I was born way back in 1942, so I already wasn't young anymore. But I can still remember that year like it was yesterday."
"To sum it all up in a nutshell, honey, 2008 was a pretty wild year, when all the rules flew out the window and everything that wasn't supposed to happen, happened."
"Really? Like what, Grandma? What wasn't supposed to happen that happened?"
"Well, for starters, 2008 was the year we were supposed to have our first female president, a woman named Hillary Clinton. She sure thought it was going to happen, but it didn't. Instead, we elected our first African-American president, Barack Obama,. They said he couldn't get elected. It wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. So much for what 'they' say."
"Why did people think Barack Obama couldn't get elected? Wasn't he one of our greatest presidents?"
"Well yes, honey, he was a great president. But back then people didn't think a black man could be elected to the highest office in the land. We'd never had a black president before."
"You mean, some people didn't like him because of his skin color? That's so silly! Besides, he wasn't only black. He was also white too, remember?"
"Yes, I know it's hard to believe now, because everything's changed so. But remember, we began as a nation of slave owners and it took many generations before black people got equal rights, let alone equal treatment. Barack Obama changed the course of history and that was one of the few good things that happened in 2008. "
"Grandma, why do you think it happened then? Was there something special about that year?"
"Indeed there was, sweetheart. I don't mean to sound all negative, but after eight years of the Bush presidency, life was worse than anybody could ever remember."
"Really, Grandma? How bad was it?"
"Oh, honey, are you sure you want to hear all this? This is not exactly bed-time story material".
"Sure. Then I'll have stuff to tell the kids at school about how hard life was when my Grandma was younger".
"Well, it was a very scary time. Towards the end of 2008, just before the presidential election, the economy collapsed and everything just stopped working. Many banks failed, and several of the largest investment houses on Wall St. disappeared overnight. Many people lost their life savings and their homes; some even took their own lives because of it. It was horrible! See, I told you this wasn't a very happy story."
"That's OK, Grandma. I wanna hear. I read about all this at school, but you know how boring history books are. It just doesn't sound real. How could all this happen in such a short period of time?"
"Well, actually, the seeds of destruction were planted many years before. A long time ago, the people who ran our government decided to get rid of most of the rules that had regulated the economy for decades. As a result, the rich people got richer and the poor people got poorer.
Some of those rich people became very greedy. And when people get greedy, eventually, their greed catches up with them."
"Boy, sounds like greed is a really bad thing!"
"Well, it's not exactly something you'd want to have written about you on your tombstone. The thing about greed, sweetheart, is that it's like a hungry monster that doesn't know when to stop. It just keeps on going, gobbling up everything in its path. Eventually, it gobbles up everything until there's nothing left to consume. The only thing greed can do then is turn in upon itself and when that happens, everything collapses and the game is over.
"Oh, I get it, Grandma! It's kind of like in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy throws a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch of the West and the witch starts to melt. My favorite scene in the movie is when the witch cries, 'I'm melting! I'm melting!' And then she disappears."
"Exactly! And that's kind of what happened to the Big Three Automakers around this time."
"Big Three Automakers?"
"Oh, I forgot, you wouldn't know about them. Well, back in the olden days, the U.S. used to manufacture cars, right here in this country. In fact, Detroit used to be the automobile capital of the world. But that ended when the economy collapsed and we fell into 'The Great Repression of 2008.' Now, there are no more American cars."
"What's the Great Repression, Grandma? Sounds like a disease. Did everybody get sick?"
"Oh boy! This news isn't getting any better is it? Yes, in a way, people got sick because so many people lost everything back then."
"When the economy collapsed, people lost their jobs, many also lost their homes, many companies went out of business, and the banks failed. The government called it a Recession, which sounded better than calling it a Depression.
"After all, George Bush didn't want to leave office with a Depression happening on his watch, so he dressed it up and called it a Recession, which was like so many other funny names the Bush administration gave to things. Kind of like calling something the opposite of what it really is like: 'The Clear Skies Act, The Patriot Act, No Child Left Behind' etc."
"Is that like non-fat half and half, Grandma?"
"Yeah, kind of like that. But the impact of the failed economy felt more like a Depression because it hit people harder and it spread around the world. Eventually, someone combined the two words and called it a 'Repression,' and it seemed to fit the times.
"Is there more, Grandma?"
"Oh honey, I'm afraid there's much more. But this is enough bad news for one night. Let's change the subject. It's kind of depressing just to think about it".
"But Grandma, if you don't tell me, then I won't know about your life and how it was for you. I'll never know the history of our family and the hardships you all went through. Do you think I only want to hear about bunnies and butterflies? I want to hear everything, the good and the bad. Go on, Grandma."
"Well, OK, but the story doesn't get any better for a long time.
"Even though we'd elected our first black president, our country was still very divided in 2008. For one thing, in most states, gay people were denied the right to marry each other. Can you imagine that? I know that sounds silly now, but back then, there was still discrimination against same-sex couples. Gay people fought for many years to have equal rights with everyone else. I'm happy to say that one turned out well."
"What was it like during the Iraq War, Grandma? Did everybody have to give up stuff?
I read in my history book at school how during World War II, some things were in very short supply and goods were rationed, like rubber, gasoline, butter, and even nylon stockings. Did you have to give up a lot of stuff to help the war, Grandma?"
"Oh dear! You do ask a lot of interesting questions, sweetheart. Actually, this one is kind of embarrassing to answer, but no, we didn't have to give up stuff to help the war. President Bush just told everyone to go shopping, so we did.
"Some things were in short supply, like oil, so gasoline prices shot way up and we had to wait in lines to buy gas for our cars. Of course, that was back when cars still ran on gasoline. Now those cars are all antiques and you only see them in museums."
"Gee Grandma, it sounds like life was really weird back then. Like in the story of Rip Van Winkle, when he went to sleep for 100 years. Did everyone go to sleep back then, too?"
"Yes, I think we did. I know, it sounds crazy now, but after the fall of Communism in the late 1980's, even though we lived in peace and prosperity for nearly 10 years, I guess we must have needed a new enemy. Then, after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11th, in 2001, we found our new enemy: terrorism.
"The government told us to be very afraid of terrorists. They said terrorists could be anywhere, even living next door. So we all got paranoid and scared and went along and didn't question things, even allowing many of our rights to be taken away because we thought it would help keep us safe.
"I guess you could say that's the reason why we had the Big Crash in 2008. You know, how when Grandma's driving the car, she has to keep her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road or she'll drive off the road and end up in a ditch?"
"Yeah, Grandma, but you're a really safe driver".
"Yes, but that's kind of what happened to us in 2008. We took our hands off the wheel and our eyes off the road in 2000 and we ended up in a big ditch in 2008."
"How'd we get out of the ditch, Grandma?"
"Well honey, as soon as Barack Obama became our president, he handed everyone a shovel and said 'Here, start digging, and we did. We became focused on making life better for everyone, not just a few. Everyone had to sacrifice and give up being selfish. We learned about being responsible citizens and insisting on government being accountable to the voters. It took us many years to get back on track, but thank goodness, we did it. Yes, we did!"
"Wow, Grandma, 2008 sounded like a very hard year."
"Yes, sweetheart, it was. But we managed to get through it and we grew stronger because there was nowhere to go but up. I'm grateful to be able to say that in the face of so much difficulty, America found the courage to change course. We gave the reins to a new generation of leaders, starting with President Obama, and look how far we've come since those dark days of '08.
"Grandma, have we come far enough for me to ever become president some day?"
"Oh my darling girl, Virginia, we've come a very long way. As President Obama would say, 'yes Virginia, you certainly can'!"
What will you tell the children about 2008? Just in case you need a visual aid to help you explain what happened, snuggle up with the children and watch this "Walk Down Memory Lane, 2008" children's video with Uncle Jay. He makes these videos weekly. Check it out.:
What were the high and low points of this year for you? Please share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment in the Reply section below and subscribing to the RSS feed so you won't miss any future posts. And thanks for being part of this reader community.
Dr. Judith Rich is a corporate training consultant, writer, and executive and personal coach. For further contact, she can be reached at judith@theraisinyears.com.
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