Finding a Common Narrative
Fifty years. How is it fifty years since the assassination of JFK? Our country changed.
On April 14, 1865 the assassination of Abraham Lincoln changed the course of history.
July 2, 1881 Charles Guiteau shot President James Garfield. Garfield lingered until September 19th when he died of blood poisoning.
A scant twenty years later on September 6, 1901 Leon Czoigosz shot President William McKinley. McKinley died on September 14th.
But there were also attempts that didn't succeed on Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan's life.
Who can ever forget Martin Luther King, assassinated in 1968.
Then there are leaders from other countries who have been assassinated, many quite famous,—Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was shot as he was getting ready to address a prayer meeting. King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot by his half-brother's son. More recently Benazir Bhutto was killed in 2007 as she was waving to crowds.
The list goes on and on—the famous and the infamous.
Let's not forget religious leaders—murdered, assassinated.
The CIA involved itself , either directly or indirectly, in plots to assassinate "persons of interest".
The U.S. Justice Department attempted to profile the type of person who attacks a public figure.
The released results confirmed what many people thought—no single profile.
It's not that there aren't other ways to alter history, change opinions, make life better—but they require real changes in people.
There are people who believe that we need to listen, really listen, to the stories we tell. They believe that we need to be present—we need to "practice radical hospitality".
Would that help if we really listened to the stories of those whose tales differ—whose stories rub up against our beliefs? Is it possible for two different stories to find a common narrative?
On April 14, 1865 the assassination of Abraham Lincoln changed the course of history.
July 2, 1881 Charles Guiteau shot President James Garfield. Garfield lingered until September 19th when he died of blood poisoning.
A scant twenty years later on September 6, 1901 Leon Czoigosz shot President William McKinley. McKinley died on September 14th.
But there were also attempts that didn't succeed on Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan's life.
Who can ever forget Martin Luther King, assassinated in 1968.
Then there are leaders from other countries who have been assassinated, many quite famous,—Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was shot as he was getting ready to address a prayer meeting. King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot by his half-brother's son. More recently Benazir Bhutto was killed in 2007 as she was waving to crowds.
The list goes on and on—the famous and the infamous.
Let's not forget religious leaders—murdered, assassinated.
The CIA involved itself , either directly or indirectly, in plots to assassinate "persons of interest".
The U.S. Justice Department attempted to profile the type of person who attacks a public figure.
The released results confirmed what many people thought—no single profile.
It's not that there aren't other ways to alter history, change opinions, make life better—but they require real changes in people.
There are people who believe that we need to listen, really listen, to the stories we tell. They believe that we need to be present—we need to "practice radical hospitality".
Would that help if we really listened to the stories of those whose tales differ—whose stories rub up against our beliefs? Is it possible for two different stories to find a common narrative?
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