RFK

I just finished watching a PBS documentary through Netflix about the life of Robert Kennedy. While I have read some about RFK, it has been mostly in relationship to his brother President Kennedy. I learned a whole lot more and come away from watching this program with a new kind of respect for Senator Kennedy.
What was most surprising to me was that RFK participated in the House Committee on Un-American Activities that was spear-headed by Senator Joe McCarthy. RFK was a kind of crusader during this period in his life and teamed up with McCarthy to weed out the threat of Communism in American society. He approached this work with a kind of fundamentalist zealousness that really surprised me.
I also found it fascinating that RFK really would have preferred to stay out of the spotlight and simply support his brother's presidential administration. However, after his brother was assassinated, the grief overwhelmed him and he in some ways felt that it was his responsibility to take up his brother's mantle and serve in the United States Senate and eventually declare his candidacy for President.
The program helped me to see the that RFK was a man who evolved in his thinking and understanding of the world. While most people become more set in their ways as they mature, in many ways, RFK grew and became more open to people and ideas that were counter to what he had embraced as a younger man. For example, he became one of the first Senators to publicly question the sustainability of the war in Viet Nam after he had been a part of his brother's administration that had helped to launch United States' involvement in that conflict.
The turning point in his life seemed to be his brother's assassination. He grieved and walked through the valley of the shadow of death for a very long time. However, in his pain he was able to find empathy for others who were experiencing pain in life. At least in his public speeches, he seemed to really turn a corner and attempt to reach out to those living on the margins in our society.
Now, I know RFK was a member of one of the most privileged families in America. I know that he really never understood what it was like to be poor. I know that he did not have a full grasp of the racial strife that gripped America at that time. I know that he was raised with particular biases. I know that in many ways he was a politician who do what politicians do - try to get people to elect them to office. At the same time, after watching the documentary, it did help me to have a new kind of respect for this man who had always seemed a bit of an enigma to me.
I learned that many people found hope for the future in the kind of America he talked about. I also learned that many people mourned his loss and feel that the country would have been a different kind of place in the following years under his leadership.
I'm not really sure about all of that. That involves a whole lot of "what ifs". However, what I am pretty sure about is that RFK knew grief to the depths of his soul in life. His life was somehow forever changed by the assassination of his brother and that change brought about a great transformation in his life in the following years. Along with this, he was a man who, whether you agree with his politics or not, cared deeply about his country and tried to make a difference in the way that he knew best.
I'm glad that I watched this documentary. I always love learning about historical figures. They inspire me and teach me. They often help me to learn something about life and about myself.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!