My first memory of the world ending was in 1962 when I was nine. As the teacher addressed us, people wondered if there’d be a tomorrow and her hands shook. I couldn’t understand why her hands were shaking - she was a grownup after all. It was of course the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis and adults knew to be terrified. My friend’s father built a shelter in their little backyard, where they’d live following a nuclear holocaust, eating canned food, drinking powdered milk and playing cards till they all died of old age. By contrast, my father said of our leaders, “You have to have faith they’ll do the right thing” and he believed that. In the end, they did. Now 60 years on, we again have reason to wonder if one of these days will be our last. I think you have to have faith they’ll do the right thing. But what’s the right thing?
© 2024 John Oliver
Substack is the home for great culture