World Fraternity? a Boomer's Dream

1967 to 1972 was a period of time that cried out for readjustment in attitudes and perceptions about our planet, as was seen from space by Armstrong and the other astronauts traveling to the moon. Our geopolitical and social institutions, anchored in the past, were now anachronistic. The Vietnam War, claiming the lives of our youth, was another anachronistic endeavor as perceived by the new generation that went against the old knowledge. The youth were revolting against the myopic nationalist views of their elders, who held fast to boundaries between nation-states, whose ideas were buttressed by defunct ideologies of cultural difference and an inflated sense of superiority. This ran contrary to the clear view that we are all here together, inhabitants of this speck of dust in the universe that we call Earth.

Anthony is seventeen, a child of the established middle class and a son whose father served in Korea. Laura is sixteen, the child of an idealistic father and a pragmatic mother from a declining, formerly prominent branch of Boston aristocracy. Anthony and Laura meet at an anti-war protest. They believe that wars for expansion of national boundaries or for the triumph of ideologies are wrong. They collide with the old vision, and are representative of those who hold the new vision of one earth and one people. It was a chance meeting of two minds, and they fell in love at first sight. Steve, Laura's older brother, approves of the young lovers. Laura's mother, however, upon learning that Anthony is not upper class, won't hear of it. The biggest obstacle is Howard, a forty-ish bachelor who pays the family bills and expects Laura in return. Howard tries to get rid of Anthony in every way possible, ultimately having him shipped off to Vietnam. This is a story that explores the philosophical underpinnings of our society, the role of government, and even religion and patriotism.