25 years ago NASA had the entire country's attention. Teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was set to become the first civilian teacher to embark on a trip toward the stars. NASA's massive PR push was a success, and it seemed the whole country was watching the 11:38 launch live. Back in the 1986 schools had yet to network every classroom with TV's, and as such A/V carts were forced to scatter, classrooms merged, and assemblies were conducted. This was an event.
I sat in Sister Helen's first grade room and still remember the class wide giddiness. A TV was in the room and we were freaking. Who knew the school had TV's? Even as it sat dark it had the attention of everyone. At about 11:30 (or so I assume) the TV was switched on. At 11:38 the exhaust plumes were visible. We had lift-off. 73 seconds later the sky was ablaze. The Challenger had exploded. Our little minds were blown. What we saw was impossible to us, but it happened anyways. It was a feeling more life experience would replicate several times over.
Sister Helen responded promptly and authoritatively. The TV was immediately turned off and the class was directed into prayer. Somehow it was expected that something as abstract as prayer would quell the class' thoughts and emotions. What we saw and how we felt about it was never discussed. Seemingly, it was/is the Catholic way.
I can still recall the confusion I had when I got home and looked at my collection of NASA space shuttles. To me they were that real world thing that bridged the gap from sci-fi to reality, and now they seemed somehow tainted. As I recall it was one of the early moments in my life where I began to question things internally.
Andy, that was a day not unlike Nov.22, 1963. It was a yearning to just get a chance to live those few minutes all over again, yearning for the opportunity to do it all over again, only getting it right this time. How traumatic for children to watch such horror. I think most of the time that adults don't respond it is because they don't know how to. I am not convinced religion has much to do with their lack of sensitivity or lack of ability to react. I think in current times, the media, the psychiatrists, the crisis teams would all be lined up, working overtime to extract and inspire any and all conversation pertaining to the traumatic event. To the point of exploitation. These are better times, I guess?
ReplyDeleteI think if it read that religion was to blame I cam across wrong. What I was alluding to was a traditional pattern of repression in the Catholic church- especially as it pertains to human emotions. The handling of the situation may have had just as much to do with how things were handled by the old guard- I'll never know.
ReplyDeleteI think the overall sense I was trying to convey is how people process events that seem impossible: 9/11, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Kennedy assassination, etc.
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