In my time

 There are times when I feel like I'm fighting against the tide. Current events are that tide. When I was in school my history and English teachers would encourage me to study current events. They were trying to make me aware. The lesson was to compare the events of the day with the past and determine that correlation. It was not meant to justify current actions, or assign blame for the past events, but to understand those events in the context of time. Social attitudes and moral behaviors do change over time. Often called evolution it implies an improvement. I would submit that is not always the case. Societies can devolve just as well. Currently I am seeing a transfer of moral standards from the personal level to the government. It is an attempt to remove moral ambiguity from our society. It is that desire to have everyone just " go with the flow " to not resist the tide, that is this struggle. The struggle I face is not a revolution, but the maintenance of progress. To be told you are wrong , in your thinking, is a difficult thing. It is an extremely difficult thing when the only argument being put forth is because it is change. You should just change your thinking because you are old. You need to just go with the flow.
 The troubling part in this is that history is being rewritten to fit the agenda. This demanding of reparations for the misdeeds of the past that occurred centuries ago I find most troubling. There is an old adage that applies, don't cry over spilled milk ! Seems like we are constantly in tears these days. To what end ? Nothing will change what has happened. Moving forward is easier by leaving old baggage behind. Do not drag old junk along that serves no purpose. History does repeat itself and for a good reason. We forget the lessons of the past and attempt to rewrite the lesson plan. What we once held as a truth we now label discrimination. Discrimination is wrong, but so is being indiscriminate in our choices. How do you rectify the two ?  The first affects others and the later may cause harm to yourself. Should the government have a role in this decision making ? Only as far as the prevention of physical harm, freedom from oppressive restrictions, and the conduct of commerce. In other words, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is the concept of liberty that is hardest to define and to litigate. Oppression is subjective in nature. To understand that concept just talk to a child. What Mom or Dad says is the best course of action is often viewed as oppression. That doesn't make it so however.
 It is the context of time that concerns me. You often hear the phrase, in my time, to indicate the past. I don't feel like my time is gone, not yet anyway. I carry that time with me. Trying to keep moving forward, against the tide of time, is the challenge we all face. The young among us have yet to collect sufficient ballast to maintain an even keel. They are subject to wind and wave. We older folks have that ballast and are reluctant to jettison it. Maintenance is more difficult that creation. When we build a house it is all new and sound upon its' foundation. The challenge then is to maintain it. Without maintenance it begins to decay. Yes sometimes maintenance requires replacement. That only occurs however when the item wasn't maintained in the first place. Do not change the foundation because the roof is leaking ! I do get the feeling that the tide of current events is washing away our foundation as a nation. Time and tide wait for no man, that is a truth that cannot be denied. Change occurs because it is allowed. I advocate for maintenance over replacement. Changing things doesn't always solve the problem, sometimes it just creates more. I am concerned with the moral ballast of the nation. Sounds rather lofty doesn't it ? I just want a stable ship for my grandchildren and their children. I'll keep doing the maintenance as long as I can.