Tuesday, January 1, 2013

In MY day....

I was asking my older brother if we really had to walk 5 miles home from school when I was in first grade. He said "Yep".  Any way I remember the innocent wonderful days of the past. I think it was late 1970's and early '80's when there were many advertisements regarding social issues. "Please do not drive drunk because you might hurt somebody". "Join the state Police and help people out." The tone was more Mr. Rogers than Clint Eastwood.
  Now we have Cops shouting and waving assault rifles with the message join us and KICK _A**. Don't drive drunk or we will put you in the slammer.  In times like these when everybody is stealing you gotta protect yourself.
   One reason I doubt that my sense of this is real is my memories of the first president of my adulthood constantly reminding me that things were soooo much better in the "Good old days" when women and those other guys could not vote and nobody got divorced because all the women died in childbirth and lynching was was a nice /Saturday event that people took their kids to and sent pictures of to their relatives. I could go on but I think I have made my point.
  I believe that for most of us our childhood (even Mine) is the good old days because we are not aware of reality. Most of us also have a desire for Utopia where the society is fair,just and beautiful.  Since it is not now it must have been before....right?
   My memory of those old messages may be inaccurate just as I suspect President Reagan's were.  I think that if I can ,at least for myself, change the picture and instead of worrying about the past, take those messages and create an image of the future, I will be better able to go forward.
  If we look accurately at our past we will find that America has less violence and repression than anytime in our history. 

2 comments:

  1. So you're implying that my memories of just how cool I was might be ever so slightly exaggerated?

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    1. Hey in our minds we were the coolest! As I was reminded yesterday perception is reality. So now I am confused allover again just like Yogi Bera

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