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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-07-28, Page 66 Exeter Tknes–Advecate Wednesday, July 28, 1999 A9a# Editorial&Opinion TIMIs-ADvOCATI]3 PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Don Smith Deb Lord General Manager Production Manager Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-133.1 EDITORIAL Tragedy strikes the Kennedy family again There was another royal funeral last week, as the body of John F. Kennedy Jr. was laid to rest. People throughout the western world mourned, along with the friends and family of this hand- some young man, killed in a tragic plane crash en route to a cousin's wedding. Also killed were his wife and sister-in-law. As with Princess . Diana's funeral, tears were shed by people from many countries including Canada, from all .walks of life. Along with the tears came sad conversations about the so-called Kennedy curse, which has claimed the lives of so' many of the clan. With its wealth, political power and fame, the Kennedy .family is as close as one can get, on this side of the Atlantic, to royalty. Even more than their British kin, Americans seem fascinated with everything that happens to their royals, with any- thing they do, any scandal that touches them, and all their triumphs and tragedies. Sometimes it seems there is a morbid preference for the latter. Perhaps it is a remnant of a certain Puritanical distrust for enjoyment, unless there is a funeral involved somehow. Perhaps we are "touching the king's robe" and indulging in the feeling that by attending the funeral, made possible by the magic of television, something of the family's .fame and fortune rubs off onto us. Perhaps • it is nothing more than making the most of an opportunity to peek into "lifestyles of the rich and famous": Then again, it may well be a form of jealousy, an unconscious desire to see balance restpred to a world in which a few have so much, while most of us have so little in comparison. This is the stuff of which a Shakespearian tragedy is made, this tale of the fatal error through which the high and mighty are humbled. While there are no doubt elements of all this in he saga of the Kennedy curse, many of us feel genuine sympathy for the family. Yes, these peo- E,le are wealthy and famous; yes, they are .won- derfully beautiful, and gifted in so many ways. But like us, they love their sons and daughters, and they weep when tragedy claims the life of one ti of their own - or worse, the lives of three of their;r own. For all their wealth and fame, this family has not escaped tragedy. One son was lost by drown- ing, two ,,fell to assassins' bullets. There bias been cancer, mental illness, alcoholism. Babies have died and marriages have tailed. We put ourselves in their shoes, and know tliat they: would trade all the newspaper articles, huge bank accounts, fancy real estate and private planes, if it would bring. back their loved ones.; Of course, it will not. Any family which has suf- fered tragedy - what family ,has not? - under- stands. What we fail to understand , sometimes is the easy familiarity we feel towards the people we see on television, is not a relationship.. Thanks to modern media, we probably see more of the rich and famous than we do seine of our relatives. 'We may admire them, even a fascinated by •them,. and too often sympathize with them, but we are not acquainted with them in any meaningful way. They have no idea we even exist. Let our sympathy for the Kennedy clan, arid any other famous people suffering whatever tragedy, be tempered with this knowledge. We must not mistake a serious news story for a soap opera in which we play a role. We should allow the Kennedys to mourn, free from public intrusion, while we shed our tears for people in our own communities • people who might take real com- fort from our expressions'of heartfelt sympathy:: good time was had 17 A few months ago, I wrote about my physical and psychological preparations for my high school reunion. -- The The much anticipated event has come and gone and as the saying goes, "A good time was had by all." This was an all -years reunion for John Diefenbaker Secondary School to celebrate 75 years of secondary , school education in Hanover. About 2,000 grads returned to the hallowed halls to reminisce and renew acquaintances. A few things became apparent during the 24 -hours of squinting to read name tags and trying to remember faces. The older you get, the more like yourself you get. High school is a tumultuous time in a per- son's life. Teenagers are a mysterious lot, caught between childhood and -adulthood. But in every teen, there is a talent, characteristic, belief or an interest that blossoms in adult- hood. We found the one thing that made a person unique has often become their profession, cru- KATE sade or dominant personality trait. - MON( As a class, we've faired pretty well, with KATrs some interesting jobs, nice families and there TAKES are no axe murderers in the lot. It quickly became apparent reunions are not the place to take your spouse. About an hour after the opening ceremonies, you could see the eyes of the spouses glaze over as bore- dom set in. For at a reunion, they have no identity of their own, they are only someone else's husband or wife and each person they meet sizes them up. On the down side for the graduate, chances are classmates are goingto reveal • the embarrass sto- ries m8 ries about what you did half a lifetime ago which you've managed to keep buried in the past. More than once I heard a graduate say they loved their husband or wife too much to bring them to a high school reunion. No reunion would be complete without teachers. I gazed through the displays and the first thing that struck me was how young the teachers looked in the yearbook photos, Back in high school, they seemed so old but they were probably only in their early 30s. Some teachers had a big influence, mostly the ones involved in extracurricular activities or in the subjects we enjoyed. It's a shame not many of the teachers were at the reunion because we would have thanked them for all the good things they had done. I especially appreciate the time btu. coaches put into our teams. My fellow athletes and I are not ashamed to' admit our athletic skills were dismal. The school was going through a valley of athletics during our five years at JDSS. We lost continually and only occasionally pulled out a winning season. It was bad. Looking back, I have to admire the dedication of our coaches, surviving those losing seasons. They could have been hbme with their families or marking papers butthey chose to spend their time with-Jsome well-meaning but athletically -chal- lenged teens: In the midst of the losses and wins, they taught us many life skills that will always help us at work, home or in friendships — working together, sportsmanship, determination and competitiveness. Am I glad I made the pilgrimage to Hanover? Yes. Even though we had everything in common for five years, we spread apart quickly upon graduation and it felt good to reconnect. Let's hope we don't wait anoth- er 20 years to do it again. About the Times -Advocate ` Address & office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. 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