I feel a need to jump on the anniversary bandwagon and mention that today is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. In general, I am a maritime disaster enthusiast (yes, I'm actually admitting that); the most important aspect of our family trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula was for me to visit the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. And unlike the rest of the normal populace, Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," played on loop in the museum, never got old for me. Once upon a time (and once again, in recent months) I toyed with the idea of joining the US Coast Guard. The ability to learn new skills and to be a part of such a vast oceanscape is so very appealing. I haven't quite let that one go...
Titanic, Edmund Fitzgerald, Lusitania, Andrea Doria...famous ships that foundered for various reasons (some unknown). I think I love the drama that surrounds the mystery and mechanics of the sinkings, the dynamics of social class hierarchy, as well as the unimaginable desparation the passengers felt. I can't fathom looking at a cold, cold ocean, knowing that it would be my final resting place. There's a devastating romanticism about it.
So, while Rose and Jack were pure fiction, I often think of the many women on lifeboats who watched the Titanic go down with their men still on board. I think about saying a final farewell to Adam as I row to safety, and then see the ship he's stranded on fall into a watery grave. Unbearable.
So, one hundred years on, I want to honor the more than 1500 passengers and crewmembers who so senselessly lost their lives. Your legacies live on.
No comments:
Post a Comment