Was There Ever a Mayberry, and Could Such a Place Ever Exist?

When once posed the question, "Can Mayberry still exist?", my reply was, "Did Mayberry ever exist in the first place?"I rather doubt that it ever did but still wonder if it ever might be possible that it ever could. It is definitely an ideal that we would all love to see come to fruition.

Mayberry, however, is a fictitious town from a writer's imagination, in a day when the atrocities of the world weren't brought out into the forefront. Yes, it would be wonderful, and ideal to think that there were such a time and place, though somewhat of a fantasy. It would be even more wonderful to believe that such a place could ever come to life and be a part of everyone's future. I think everyone would agree that a Mayberry way of life would be a far better way to live.

Mayberry, a clean, quaint little town where everyone knew everyone, and lifestyles were so simple and basic. The biggest problem that one might encounter would have been a child throwing a stone or baseball through their neighbor's window. Then of course, the parents would find out, the child would subsequently be taught the importance of respecting their neighbor and property, thus working off the expense of repairing said window by doing odd chores for a week. A well-learned lesson that the child carried with him throughout the rest of his life.

That sure wouldn't happen in this day and age, with young people running rampant in the streets, being destructive, painting graffiti all over town, stealing vehicles and joy riding. If they ever do get caught, there is no retribution by neither child nor their parent to compensate for damages done to their neighbor. The insurance company will take care of any damages, at a higher premium to the policy holder of course. The child, well, they just get a good talking to by a nice friendly police officer because they are too young to go to jail for their misdirected, unchecked behaviours.

But, back to Mayberry in the 1950's, an era when nobody talked about alcoholism, child or spousal abuse, infidelity, sex and racial discrimination, rape or sexual orientation. Oh yes, those things were going on then too, and long before that. They were just swept under the rug, never to be talked about. Young children were taught never to go near that "dirty old man" down the street. There was no mention that he was a child molester. Everybody laughed at the town "drunk" who spent many a night in the hoosegow to sleep it off. Not a word about him having a problem with alcohol or self-esteem or sending him to a place to get detoxified and work on getting his life straightened out.

It was a time when little girls played with dollies and learned how to cook and sew. Little boys had toy trucks and played rough and tumble sports, and never the twain shall meet. If a little girl didn't like dolls, or a boy his trucks and football, they would be forced to fit into their assigned slots. It was just the way that is was suppose to be and no one dared question it, even if it meant going against one's own orientation and living a miserable, secret, double life.

In some ways, things are finding a way of balancing themselves out. In today's society, differences are more out in the open and freely talked about. It is no longer a tragedy when a marriage falls apart. No one is expected or forced to live in an abusive situation. People have more freedoms and rights, even though at times not everyone agrees with certain choices one might make. Atrocities are less likely to be swept under the rug, as we are now more knowledgeable about such things. It is encouraged to bring them out into the open, discussing them and hopefully finding resolutions. By not keeping such damaging behaviour secret, they no longer lurk around dark corners.

Yes, it would be extremely nice if we could have it all. Mayberry in the 21st Century would be a wonderful place to live....where everybody knows everybody, and watches out for their neighbors. A place where family values are placed in the forefront again and people actually work hard at making a family functional. Laws would be enforced and everybody who chose to break the law would be held accountable to the highest degree of the law. Most importantly, a town where children would be free to run and play, without fear of being abducted, raped and possibly murdered because of child molesters being placed back onto the streets so indiscriminately.

Maybe after a few more decades, or even another century perhaps, we will find the way to finally balance it all out. Yes, we will probably always have our misfits in society, but if good "Mayberrry" values are taught at an early age, we might still have hope.