Today, July 17, marks Disneyland’s 69th birthday. Happy Birthday! Reflecting on nearly seven decades of joy, happiness, and magic, it’s astonishing to recall that many, including Walt’s own wife and brother, doubted the park’s success. They believed it would be bankrupt, shuttered, and forgotten in six years or less.
A Shocking Event and Its Repercussions
However, recent events have cast a shadow over this celebration. The assassination attempt last Saturday has left me deeply discouraged by the polarized reactions. One side wishes a bullet hadn’t missed, while the other believes divine intervention protected their candidate. This stark division is troubling and makes one ponder the state of our democracy.
Elie Wiesel’s Perspective
In times of uncertainty, it’s helpful to look back at figures who have faced immense challenges. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, offers us a unique perspective. After enduring the horrors of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Wiesel aspired to become a journalist. He interviewed Walt Disney in France at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival, arriving in America in 1955, the same year Disneyland opened.
During a six-week cross-country journey in 1957, Wiesel visited Disneyland. His reflections on Walt’s Magic Kingdom capture a sentiment that many of us feel but struggle to articulate:
“I don’t know if a Garden of Eden awaits adults in the hereafter. I do know, though, that there is a Garden of Eden for children here in this life. I know because I myself visited this paradise. I have just returned from there, just passed through its gates, just left the magical kingdom known as Disneyland. And as I bid that kingdom farewell, I understood for the first time the true meaning of the French saying, ‘to leave is to die a little’ (partir, c’est mourir un peu).”
A Timeless Dream
Wiesel’s words remind us of the enduring need for places of joy and wonder. In 1955, a decade after World War II and the horrors of the death camps, the world needed Disneyland. Sixty-nine years later, the dream that began as a crazy thought on a park bench one Saturday afternoon lives on in Disney parks around the world.
A Call for Unity
Just like Walt’s dream for Disneyland wasn’t easy, neither is democracy. We’re going to disagree. But as we reflect on Disneyland’s birthday, let’s remember the power of dreams and the importance of unity. Here’s to finding common ground and building a brighter future together.
What are your thoughts on Disneyland’s legacy? How has the park inspired you to be a better citizen? A better human?
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