When Were the Good Ole Days?

I'm beginning to see the phrase "Back in the good ole days" pop up from time to time once again. I think every so often we forget that since Adam and Eve took that first sinful bite, there has been no such thing in the world. From this very first human act of disobedience we have been on a constant path of hate, war and destruction. From one family we had our first case of murder and the killing has only multiplied expeditiously since. Conquest seems to be a major component of mankind's makeup. It must be in our inherent DNA to want to rule others and to even think about living in peaceful coexistence is to be considered weak.

Biblical times give us a clear and precise vision of who the human species is and the violence that inhabits the very soul of us. These are but a few of the killings which went on and were saved for prosperity within the pages of The Old Testament:

Elisha (with help from God) sent two bears to kill 42 children for making fun of his bald head. 2 Kings 2:22-23

Abimelech killed 69 of his brothers on a stone. Judges 9:5

Doeg the Edomite killed 85 priests and all the men, women, children, infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep with a sword. 1 Samuel 22:18-19

Elijah (and God) burned to death 102 men. 2 Kings 1:10-12

David killed 200 Philistines to purchase his first wife with their foreskins. 1 Samuel 18:25-27

Abishai killed 300 men with a spear. 2 Samuel 23:18, 1 Chronicles 11:20

The chief of David's captains killed either 300 (1 Chronicles 11:11) or 800 (2 Samuel 23:8) men with a spear. (Sometimes it's hard to correctly count the number of dead bodies in a massacre.)

Elijah killed 450 religious leaders in a prayer contest. 1 Kings 18:22-40(The total in this massacre may have been 850 if it included the priests of the groves.)

Shamgar killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad. Judges 3:31

Samson killed 1000 men with the jawbone of an ass. Judges 15: 14-15 This is only a thumbnail snapshot of all the deaths attributed to the hands of man toward other men, women and children brought to life through our spiritual guidebook, The Bible. But this is only the beginning since there has been so very much more killing in the world.

We can look at the Greeks of (560-546 BC). And the wars they fought: Persian War~Peloponnesus War~The Trojan War and the Persians actually were one of the first cultures who sought to conquer the world.We can look at the world in 200 B.C. when some of the most bloody and gruesome wars were fought. The Punic Wars as they were called and Rome suffered its greatest loss when Hannibal defeated Fabius Maximus. But the Romans loved battle and they rebounded. They also sought world domination. It seems Tears For Fears knew what it was talking about when they sung: "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".

The period from the earliest recorded raids in the 790s until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 is commonly known as the Viking Age. It is believed that the only reason the Vikings ever left their ancestral shores were for conquest. They had all the needed for maintaining their lifestyle, but they were a warrior people and conquest was everything. So when they tired of fighting amongst themselves they set out to find others to fight.But let us rush past all the many other wars which were waged on every corner of this earth . The French, The British, The Scots, The Zulus, India, and the Middle East. Well we have came full circle and are Africa, India and the Middle East are at it again. Like it is said; "The more things change, the more they stay the same. Yet I was rushing past all that to get to our great country where I am hearing some talk about "The Good Ole Days". And upon thinking about it, I guess that is something else that had to be in the eye of the beholder.

So when were these good ole days? The 1700s as we fought against the British for our independence? The 1800s as we fought the War Of 1812, The Mexican American War, The Spanish-American War or the Civil War were we waged war against our own countrymen? A time when many Americans were enslaved?Oh but we were progressed and then came along WWI and Americans fought in Europe for four years and came home to a nation on the cusp of prosperity. I suppose these years called the Roaring 20s were pretty good. People were making money and America was becoming the envy of the world. But then came 1929 and the Great Depression. So there were perhaps a decade of good times. But how many remember those golden years who are alive today? The Great Depression originated in the United States; historians most often use as a starting date the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. This not only devastated America but the world and eventually gave rise to one such as Adolph Hitler. This last blight lasted until 1939 or the early 40s depending on where you were in the world.

1939 brought about WWII and what some believe gave end to the depression in America. So once again our young men went off to die and kill. And the ironic thing about it is the fact that in many circles this war was seen as a salvation of sorts. As today we battled on two fronts fighting Japan in the Pacific and The Germans in Europe. God we were strong and brave and victorious, but can we claim these as "The Good Ole Days"?So in 1945 the war officially ended when we dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing in mass like never before, unless we relate this to the act of God with the Great Flood. Combining the deaths in both these cities we found that we could kill 140,000 in one fell sweep. By the 50s who knows those who died from the radiation poisoning. We now could kill on the level of God.

We then had a minute of peace and prosperity once again, but here comes Korea and off we go again to kill and die. At home, part of America was on the upward climb, while other parts of America were not allowed the same prosperity or pursuit of happiness. The suburbs were created as were the middle class as Americans enjoyed this brief moment of prosperity. Interrupted by the McCarthy witch hunts of communist and the drills in the schools of the kids putting their head between their legs at their desk in case of an atomic attack. Good Times!!!!!All the time our military was already dealing in South East Asia and leading up to our involvement in a place called Vietnam. In the 60s while our brave men and women fought halfway across the world America was having a domestic war of its own. Every American wanted their voices heard. Some Americans were tired of being lynched for no other reason than the color of their skin.

So begun the Civil Rights Movement followed by the fight for Equal Rights which addressed women also being treated in a fair and equal manner. The poor found their voice and activism was widespread in the country and with people speaking up also comes the people to try to knock them down. So America faced domestic upheaval in the form of sit ins, peaceful protest, non violent marches and finally riots. A turbulent time to say the least.Now I will speak of a time in which I can claim as my "Good Ole Days" The 70s were my personal time in my own personal spotlight. Home from the jungle, and ready to tackle this domestic jungle, with a full out assault. Yet as I was busy creating my good ole days, our President was being caught in a lie. Another President dealt with an American hostage situation. While we were thinking ourselves safe and secure, the world just kept right on spinning, and somewhere people kept right on dying.

The 80s were a time of The Cold War between America and Russia. The decade of the spy was in full force and nuclear proliferation was a very important and scary issue. During the 60s we gained the ability to destroy the world 3 times over, and now, Russia had the ability to destroy the human race 5 times over and America 10 times over. I guess no one bothered to realize that once was more than enough.

In the 90s Iraq invades Kuwait and America gets involved and our soldiers are again deployed. About 340,000 Americans were sent into Saudi Arabia. Then we had a Presidential scandal regarding the sexual exploits of the sitting Commander In Chief. We had a riot in a major US city which closed it down for days. Yet during this decade we entered the age of technology. The Internet was born and the world became a lot smaller.The new decade began with an attack on America by terrorist which led America to retaliate by attacking Taliban bases in Afghanistan. So here we go again. A country at war. And then we invaded Iraq and this war is ongoing. The weeks following the Twin Towers and DC attack was one of the most harmony Americans had seen as a country. Then we began an ideological war between political parties and the American people took sides and that divide remains to this very day.

So now we as a country have made history by electing a Black President. A milestone in that 144 years following the abolishment of slavery we as a country elect one who would have been a slaved those few short years ago. Yet now we face a global economic crisis which could cripple the world's financial system. Now we are headed back into Afghanistan for God only knows how long.

For someone at some point this period in time may very well be referred to as "The good ole days". This only goes to show that what one individual may feel Is good times, another individual may feel, this was a moment in hell. Basically the good ole days is that point in time when things were right in your personal world for a period. So what are your good ole days and do they coincide with where the world as a whole was at that particular time?

America's Wars A Complete History
http://www.historycentral.com/wars.html