Mythical history
I was sitting in Stewarts School of Hair one day waiting to get my haircut. Around me were a lot of little old ladies with short, grey hair which was being styled with curling irons into tight curls. My grandma Hummel had the same style. She would style her hair using rollers at home. It occurred to me that this style of hair, which triggers grandma in my mind, I was beginning to see less and less of. This signified to me that the WWII generation, the greatest it has been called, is starting to die out. Along with it goes all the first hand accounts of the Great Depression, the Holocaust, WWII, and other historical events that happened during their life times.
My mom did an amazing thing before my grandpa died. She filmed him talking about those days so that our family could remember both him and the times he lived in. My grandma refused to talk about the past because it was too painful for her so she chose to ignore it. But my grandpa loved talking about it. I am so thankful for this and only wish that all would do the same with their elders. As I have gotten older it has occurred to me that history isn't what you learn in History class but is all based on perspective. With everyone having a different perspective it really is up to the individual to decide how everything is processed and remembered. As time goes on the intricate details of life get lost in history and myth seems to take hold.
These thoughts were inspired by this:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110228/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_last_wwi_veteran