One Amazing Thing the Greatest Generation Did...

I know that Tom Brokaw called the fighters of the WWII "the Greatest Generation".  I have, on more than one occasion, derided that title as slightly self-serving.  It bugs me that they now tend to call themselves the greatest generation ever - which is a bit like bragging that you are the humblest person in the world.
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BUT....
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In one very reals sense, they - both in the USA and in USSR - accomplished a very real thing that was (and is) unique in recorded history.  They had the capability to actually end the world.  I mean actually exterminate all humanity, and they didn't.  They didn't nuke each other.  A bunch of power mad people didn't use the ultimate power!
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I can't thing of any previous weapon, an object of power and domination, that was created and not used.  Kudos to those US people in power who, having seen the horrible destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and then created something something much much more powerful, stepped back and said, "This isn't what humans do to each other".
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Sure they (both sides - hell all 20 sides) fought ugly in Korea, Vietnam, Algeria, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central America, South Africa.  Man continued to attack and kill and defame and maim and commit all kinds of atrocities in the name of progress, power and peace.  But no one, when given the power and choice, actually decided to blow up the freaking planet.  That includes crazy generals in Washington and Moscow, both of whom thought if they struck first they could win.  It includes the crazy strategists in Beijing and New Delhi who believed they had enough people to survive a nuclear fallout better than the enemy.
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We might be killing our planet slowly with global warming, pollution etc.  But its like a smoker who tries to quit after centuries of nicotine, it is hard and you might get lung cancer anyway.  But at least we haven't decided to just leap off the cliff yet.  And that's a good thing.
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It's the future, the power for power's sake politicians that scare me going forward.  IF we can keep their dirty little fingers off the bomb, we should get through this.