{"id":80749,"date":"2018-08-09T14:06:10","date_gmt":"2018-08-09T21:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=80749"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:07:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T22:07:43","slug":"40-years-of-memories","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=80749","title":{"rendered":"40 Years Of Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

And now I’m glad I didn’t know
\nThe way it all would end the way it all would go
\nIf we’d only known how the king would fall
\nHey who’s to say we might have changed it all
\nGuess our lives are better left to chance
\nI could have missed the pain..
\nBut I’d of had to miss the dance
\n\u2013 Garth Brooks<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s impossible to explain in rational terms the devastation done to our souls having lived through the Peoples Temple experience. Although the basic facts try to present a picture of what happened, these facts can never begin to address the emotional issues of why it all happened. Maybe there will never be a justifiable explanation for us to come to terms with our own personal grief as individuals.<\/p>\n

It seems like there will always be a market for tyrants in this world. The fuel that sustains them are those of us who need someone to reassure us we’re okay \u2013 who will take emotional care of us, who will make decisions for us \u2013 while slowly taking over our lives with lies.<\/p>\n

I’m not trying to over simplify the tragedy that happened at Jonestown. However, over all the years, I’ve had to look at my own life and at what drives me, and I\u2019ve come to some powerful conclusions about my own personal reality. I’m hoping that all of mankind has benefited from all of the lessons we’ve lived through. Love is more than just another word. “The world is changing\u2026 will you”<\/p>\n

I’ve got 40 years of loving memories of my Dad, Mom and Sister \u2013 Jack, Rheaviana and Ellie \u2013 and all the friends and families I knew. I wouldn’t trade those memories of the time I spent with them for anything in the world. In some small way, I hope I’ve been able to contribute some positive memories to all of us that are still left here learning.<\/p>\n

In closing, I’d like to give you\u00a0a song I wrote for all of the survivors:<\/p>\n