Member-only story
Why We Miss the Good Old Days
Nostalgia and plain old freedoms we took for granted
Now is the time for all good men (all people) to come to the aid of their country. That was once the mantra we typed and wrote to practice our typing and penmanship. It was a given — an unpretentious and undisputed fact. Ah, those there the days.
Nostalgia
We may be nostalgic as we recollect the days of our youth. Our adventures were grand. We explored the world without worrying about our safety.
The days of my youth were those of the cold war and contemplating surviving a nuclear war. I’m glad those times are mostly behind us. At present, we plan and prepare for terrorism. It would appear that domestic terrorism is more of a threat than ultra-left or ultra-right national groups.
The days of old
I miss the good old days. We would play in the fallout shelter in our elementary school. The field hospital and emergency food supplies became surplus goods and given to non-profit agencies.
We could visit our neighbors and ride our bicycles around the neighborhood without fear of bad guys. There were no random shootings. We had a very active neighborhood watch — Mothers and retired people of the neighborhood had their eye on every kid and every person in the area. We knew each other. They knew our parents.
If we wrecked our bicycle and needed aid, they’d give us first aid. They would walk us home. Any kid who dared get into mischief would round a corner and find their mother or father standing with arms crossed, waiting on them. I’m not sure how fast news traveled before telephones, but parents would know about something before a kid could get home. The consequences resulted in well-behaved children.
These days I am not even sure who my neighbors are. I see them. I have talked briefly with them. I don’t know their names or any of their children. We live in a group, but we are no longer in a community or neighborhood. We are an assembly of individuals.
Our families no longer unit or strive to get along. It isn’t like the old days. Now everyone locks their doors and has security systems. People call the police instead of talking to their neighbors when their dog barks too much and they can’t sleep. Neighbors are calling 9–1–1 when someone is celebrating a holiday with fireworks, instead of coming out to enjoy the fun.
Where has our society gone? Why does it have to be this way?
Can’t we all just get along?
