My parents’ thirty-sixth wedding anniversary took place this week- the same day as the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. The first of these events is known to only a handful of people, whereas the second one is of international significance. This week also marks a year since I began playing World of Warcraft (WoW), which is noteworthy to no one except me, and perhaps the billing department at Blizzard, the game’s developer.
Thirty years from now, will any of these dates still be observed for these reasons? I might be able to recall my parent’s wedding anniversary without looking it up; I can tell you with near certainty that I won’t be telling anyone the date of my WoW account creation. While the name George Floyd is extremely relevant in 2021- and I believe that lasting, impactful changes have already resulted from the tragedy of his death- who’s to say that we as a society will pay special heed to May 25th three decades later?
Humans like to signify events that are important- think for a moment about how many dates on your calendar are marked as holidays or the birthdays of famous individuals. Even if you don’t consider December 25th to be the birthday of Jesus, it’s likely you still associate it with being “Christmas.”
However, the reason(s) we celebrate or remember specific dates change over time; the emotional impact of an event lessens, fewer people are around who lived through it, and so on. September 11, 2001 is still fresh in the minds of Americans twenty years later, but December 7, 1941 doesn’t have the same instant recognition factor it did when my parents were growing up.
Speaking of Pearl Harbor, I’m reminded of the conversation I had with former Lillington, North Carolina mayor Frank Lewis, for an 11th grade project on World War II and the “greatest generation.” Mr. Lewis served in the South Pacific during the war, and my interaction with him was important in shaping my views of said war. Reading history books and poring over records is informative, but part of the human connection is lost in the written word.
I believe this to be true of any event or era; firsthand accounts provide the greatest understanding, even if any given individual’s point of view is limited in scope. It’s unlikely that today’s high school students will be allowed the same opportunity that I had to personally interview a veteran of World War II. This lack of direct contact may diminish the impact of the period for future generations, and the significance of the events will shift along with this.
What sort of anniversaries are meaningful to you? The moments that we value may differ, but the reasons we cherish them are more similar than not.
VeeOhhExx 