Well, let me tell ya, Boston 3 16, what a thing to talk about. It ain’t easy, this remembering stuff, ya know? Some folks say “lookin’ back on,” some say “lookin’ back at.” I say, what’s the difference? It’s all the same, ain’t it? You’re just tryin’ to remember somethin’ that happened way back when.
Like that Boston Massacre thing. Terrible, it was. March 5, 1770. I wasn’t there, mind you, but my grandma used to tell me stories. Said it was a real mess. Soldiers shootin’ folks, people dyin’ in the streets. Poor souls. Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, James Caldwell… they all died that night. Young Samuel Maverick, he died the next mornin’. And Patrick Carr, he hung on for a bit, but he died too, ’bout two weeks later.
- Five dead, just like that.
- Six more hurt.
- All ’cause of some rowdy colonists and trigger-happy soldiers.
They say it was a “tragic incident.” I guess that’s one way to put it. But to me, it was just plain wrong. Folks gettin’ killed for standin’ up for what they believe in. Sounds familiar, don’t it? Happens all the time, seems like. Always has, always will.
And that “lookin’ back” thing, it’s important, ya know? We gotta remember what happened, so we don’t go makin’ the same mistakes again. But sometimes, it’s hard. Memories fade, and stories get twisted. That’s why we gotta keep tellin’ ’em, keep remindin’ folks what happened. Even if it ain’t pretty.
This “lookin’ back at” or “lookin’ back on” stuff, it’s just fancy talk, far as I’m concerned. You just thinkin’ about the past, tryin’ to make sense of it all. Like that Boston thing. Why’d it happen? Who was to blame? Was it the soldiers? The colonists? Maybe it was just a bad situation that got outta hand. Who knows? All I know is, a bunch of people died, and that’s a damn shame.
And that song, “Don’t Look Back,” by that band, Boston. What’s that all about? Telling us not to remember? That don’t seem right. We gotta remember. We gotta learn. Otherwise, what’s the point of it all? Life’s hard enough as it is, without forgettin’ the lessons we learned along the way.
So, whether you’re “lookin’ back at” or “lookin’ back on” March 5, 1770, or any other day in history, just remember the important thing is to remember. Don’t let those stories die. Don’t let those people be forgotten. And don’t let the same mistakes happen again. That’s all I gotta say about Boston 3 16. It ain’t easy, this rememberin’ stuff, but it’s gotta be done. We owe it to them folks who came before us.
And that thing about “lookin’ back” causin’ us to turn away from our goals? Hogwash! We look back to learn, to get stronger, not to quit. It’s like lookin’ at the tracks in the mud after a big rain – you see where you been, so you know how to keep goin’ forward. Don’t let nobody tell you different. Rememberin’ the past helps us shape the future. It ain’t about gettin’ stuck, it’s about movin’ on, smarter and stronger.
Tags: [Boston Massacre, History, Remembering, Boston, 1770, March 5, Don’t Look Back, American Independence, Colonial History]
