Missing the Good Ole Days

Today, a friend half my age recalled all their favorite things" in the good old days" that were more human oriented. It reminded me of the joy of my childhood, teens, middle age and now retirement. It is so heartwarming to recall how my life was back in 1940's to the 1980's when people shared time, and hobbies working and playing until they were to tired to eat. But after the 1980's personalization of friendships, work partners, and even families got separated not just by distance but in their own homes and away from the old time neighborliness.

What happened to the old time way of getting to know neighbors, having no phones nor electronic gadgets, thinking for ourselves to use what we had instead of always wanting more. I recall as a very young child, about kindergarten age that our room was bright colors, friendly voices, smiles, oranges for snacks, home made paper and paste. and raising rabbits, fish, and birds in the classroom. Each generation has their own favorite family and friends things they recall with delight but it appears now that "computers, IPods and such have replace our face to face relationships.

It appears that almost no one will ever know the joy of anticipating long awaited postal mail from family nor friends and the happiness of writing them back. Does anyone handwrite letters or postcards to anyone anymore? Some of my most emjoyable times as a child and adult was visiting family and friends, not on social media sites but in person. Taking greyhound or local transit buses to visit someone for home made lunch or dinner. Visits always came with taking home grown and home made food, household items, and pictures to share with others.

Is there any discipline now a days for this current generation to understand critical thinking, problem solving, and common sense? How can someone matture mentally, spritually, or emotionally if they spend more than half their day with electronic gadgets instead of humans in person. Are there any workers who actually answer the phone at their workplace nowadays or all they all busy on social media and put the phone lines on voice mail?

I was raised that if you work hard, play fair, and show respect that your life would be fulfilling. How will this generation be fulfilled with self enjoyment and pride if they have machines think and talk for them? The other day in the supermarket a teen about 14 or so was overheard saying to his mother," I do not want to learn to grocery shop nor cook just go to McDonald's and get some real food." How sad is that! This Mother said to the teen," I want you to learn to cook for yourself, don't you want to learn how to make your own french fries and hamburgers someday." The teen responded, " I dont have to learn anything because I want other's to do it for me and I just give them my bank card. I like easy not hard. I am leaving this stupid store now and walking to MCDonalds' this is stupid." Mother replied, "Okay, since you think it's stupid, then I will stop cooking, stop shopping, and you will not go to McDonald's for 6 months." You are grounded for 6 months. " The teen responded by getting his IPOD out and said to his father", "Dad, Mom is being stupid at the store about learning to shop and cook, bring me some money to go to MCDonalds right now, His Father must have said No because the teen hung up and continue to call family and friends to no avail. In the checkout line the teens mother said, " You will walk home from this store carrying all the groceries while I sit in my car and take a stress break from you." The teen left the store with one bag and put it in their car, and came back 4 or 5 times carrying one bag a time and sat pouting in his Mother's car.while she continued shopping at other stores for her stress break.

In my family laziness and mouthing off was a cardinal sin that caused me to get soap in my mouth, having to do all the chores in the house by myself, writing one thousand times that I was sorry and how I would do the right thing. I hope that Mother, Father and Teen will grow in their relationship to help each other. What can we do about how the old days are gone and the new days have no order, dignity, respect, fun, or reality of life?,