Some of us many
remember those times as kids when we would sit down and listen with interest to
Grandpa or Grandma talk about “the good ‘ol days”, or even the “not-so-good days”
and how things were for them when they were younger. Of course experiences were
different depending upon what part of the country you lived in and,
(unfortunately), what you looked like, however, one thing is for certain; we as
a country have changed.
It seems back when I
was young there was a lot more pride and honor in the cities, states and in the
country. No matter where the neighbors came from, the adults would go out and
share business or war stories, cups of sugar, and beers during Barbeques or
after mowing the lawn. All the kids would play together without the worry of
being taken or bullying. The families were of course, different. This did not frighten
us. In fact, it was quite interesting. We all took turns playing in each other’s
house and cherished how the houses were decorated and the environments that we
had become a part of.
All of the fathers in the neighborhood were
decent men. They took care of their families and weren’t afraid to inform all
us kids when we were doing something we shouldn’t be. Even though the economy
was different then, no one was on welfare, or would have been ashamed of it. I
remember when it was shameful to be on welfare, now it seems like a badge of
honor for some people. Even in the 1970’s sitcom, “All in The Family”, Archie and Edith Bunker sat at their piano and
sang “didn’t need no welfare state, everybody pulled his weight.” The Obama
Administration hasn’t helped to bring honor back to man’s traditional role in
the family, or pride back to the family unit.
From 2008 to 2012 the
food stamp problem has gone from 1.45 million users in 2008 to 3.35 million,
according to heritage.org. To make matters work, heritage also tells us that in
2009 the president suspended work requirements for food stamp users. I seems as
though Americans have just given up. Even though the U.S. unemployment rate has
fallen to 7.5, examiner.com says it is not from an increase of jobs, but rather
from people just giving up and dropping out of the labor force.
I have also noticed how
unfriendly people seem to be today. It seems you will more likely see a scowl
on the face of a passerby instead of a smile, or at least a friendly nod. I
recall my father driving his vehicle and flipping his hand up every time a car
would pass by. I one day I asked him if he knew those people he waved to. “Nope”
he replied, “It’s just a nice thing to do”. Granted, we did live in a smaller
town, however, I do miss the close feeling of connection with the people in the
small towns.
Speaking of human contact,
that is something that is also missing in today’s world. Technology is a
wonderful thing, unfortunately, the more we are connected to everyone through
the internet, the more we avoid the ones who are not connected. When I was
young the internet was use for the public. We would actually talk, to each
other, face to face.
The world has definitely
changed. Some say for the better, others say not so much. But, like anything
else, everything in moderation. So, no matter if you’re a young person who
enjoys life today or an older person who longs for human contact, pride and
honor of yesterday, the world is not the same. That is not a bad thing, just
different. We need to change with the world as long as we keep our pride, and
honor and values intact, and, above all, don’t let technology push you away
from actual human contact.
dkhummel.blogspot.com,
dkhummel.com
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