The old days were good
A recent editorial disparaged the nostalgia for the America many of the newspaper readers of today knew in their youth. One cannot fully understand those times without having lived experience.
Imagine growing up in a two-parent family. Single-parent households were once not so common. The father was a coal miner. Mom was a housewife. One car only. Home-cooked meals daily. Baked bread and fresh vegetables from the garden.
You walked to the bus stop to catch the school bus. You said a prayer and pledged allegiance to the flag at school. You respected your teachers and were disciplined if you misbehaved – actual bodily punishment.
Gee, where were the school shootings? All the teen angst caused by social media? The materialism and separation caused by diverse social status? The youth entitlement mentality of today?
Yes, there were problems in society, but as young children in a rural area, we simply weren’t affected. Our formal education began at kindergarten, not at ages 3 or 4. Childhood was much more carefree and less structured. Summers were for play outside. Sundays were days of worship and family visits. Stores were closed.
Sure, there was societal unrest and wars, as likely there will always be. Civil rights and Vietnam protests were part of the past, and Black Lives Matter and pro-Palestinian protests are happening today.
We live longer lives, and that is a blessing for most. Smoking is not as popular. Today, however, we fight obesity, drug addiction, and child abuse as rising societal problems.
In years past, you worked to live. Today, many live to work.
The fashions and auto designs of years past are simply not important. Values, however, are. Until family, faith, and love of country are once again in fashion, I fear for future generations.
Rose Whipkey
Carmichaels