Perspective, i.e. oh god I'm old

[jethrien]

So I was thinking about that last history book I read, about Southeast Asia. It discussed the Vietnam War as relatively recent history, moving seamlessly into the fall of the Soviet Union and then into stuff I think of as "modern times".

And I realized something truly terrifying.

So the fall of Saigon, to me, is history. It's something that happened a long time ago. Almost 40 years, right? Way past, totally over it, move along.

The fall of Saigon was in 1975. The first Gulf War, which I clearly remember, which my father fought in, which is totally just the recent past, was in 1991.

More time has elapsed between now and Operation Desert Storm than elapsed between Desert Storm and the fall of Saigon.

Well. That just put a bunch of history into perspective. Yeesh.

Comments

[maydove.livejournal.com]

We're oooooold!!

This really hit it home for me:
http://xkcd.com/891/

[jethrien.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Little Mermaid thing was just kind of jaw-dropping.

[airspaniel.livejournal.com]

I just had to check the math for myself. Jesus...

[maydove.livejournal.com]

Also, I find it disconcerting that I still kind of think of the 90's as "present-day" and feel like I'm living in "the future" (2010's).