Spare a thought for World War Two veteran Captain Tom Moore who was appointed to the rank of honorary colonel on his 100th birthday. We all have heard of his amazing efforts fundraising for the British National Health service but has anyone stopped and thought about what Captain Moore has seen in his amazing 100 years of this Earth?
I received this email this morning - author unknown, but it certainly resonated with me.
It’s a mess out there now. Hard to discern between what’s a real threat and what is just simple panic and hysteria.
For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900. On your 14th birthday, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday. 22 million people perish in that war. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until your 20th birthday. 50 million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.
On your 29th birthday, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, the World GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33.
The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet.
And don’t try to catch your breath. On your 41st birthday, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war. At 50, the Korean War starts. 5 million perish.
At 55 the Vietnam War begins and doesn’t end for 20 years. 4 million people perish in that conflict. On your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, should have ended. Great leaders prevented that from happening. When you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends.
Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? When you were a kid in 1985 and didn’t think your 85 year old grandparent understood how hard school was. And how mean that kid in your class was. Yet they survived through everything listed above.
Perspective is an amazing art. Refined as time goes on, and enlightening like you wouldn’t believe. Let’s try and keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and we will get through all of this.
Captain Tom Moore, this was your life. No wonder you are so indominatable. We may never see your likes again - your generation deserve our respect, admiration and high regard.
God Bless you and those like you, now passed or still with us.
We do need to keep things in perspective.
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