No one is for sure if Mark Twain said this or not, but it sounds like him: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”

In the wake of all the craziness in our world for the last several days, I was hunting around for some answers. Like a lot of you, I don’t know what to make of a lot that is going on.

To me, the answers are simple. But, I echo what one of my friends posted on Facebook.  Among other things, he said he’d never been an African-American nor a police officer.  He thought it best to keep his opinions to himself. However, he said he would think and pray.

History is something I go to often. I remembered reading a lot about the year 1968, and I wondered if that election year was as tumultuous as what we are going through now. I’d encourage you to read a little. It’s interesting, informative and maybe a little frightening.

In 1968, there was widespread violence. There were major protests against the Vietnam War. At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, there were protesters and riots both inside and outside.  Get this: it was later determined that the police instigated the riots.

You had presidential candidates saying things that the public had not heard, things they wanted to hear, and things they were tired of hearing. There was widespread hatred of some of the candidates, and no one knew for sure what was going to happen next. You had candidates who were popular with young folks, candidates who constantly said bold and controversial things, and candidates who drew lots of attention from the press. There was a sneaky, trick-playing lawyer in the mix, too.

At that time in our history, there wasn’t a feeling of hope and renewal that many elections bring. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy had both been murdered. In addition, news of riots and deaths of protesters became daily news. The Vietnam War was, of course, the biggest issue. No candidate seemed to be able to rise above the rest with the overall majority. Based on what I read, I think it would be safe to say that many Americans were just worn out.

What ended up happening was a huge division within the Democratic party. That “tricky” lawyer I mentioned earlier?  Well, you know what happened, don’t you?

If you were to read enough about 1968, you would find some similarities and thankfully, some differences. A few things I read were almost eerie.  In fact, some things being said by potential candidates, talk show hosts, newspaper reporters and normal folks were things we might even be hearing today.

The year 1968 ushered in a painful decade in our nation’s history. In 1968, folks felt that things were coming apart at the seams. I’m sure many of us would echo that statement today.

Bible-reading folks talk of the end of the world. In fact, these days we are in now have been talked about as being “the last days.” People were saying the same thing in 1968. With each day that passes, and with each additional tragic news item we hear about, many of us feel that there is really nothing left to do but look to God. And pray.

And really, that’s one of the most powerful things we can do.