the good old days

 We are told, beginning in childhood, to study and work hard. We should strive to improve ourselves and the world around us. To; make things better. And so, the majority of us will do just that. Whatever path we take through education and vocation, we try to be better, make it better, improve the conditions. We do so for ourselves and our children. The more altruistic of us concern ourselves with the greater good, indeed, some will become concerned with the entire world! 

 Then the day comes when we begin to look back. With age comes sentiment. We review the past, the way things were, and think about our accomplishments. And in what can only be the ultimate irony, we long for that past, for the way things were because, things were better back then. The good old days and we miss them. That is the reality for most of us. The days before we really began to make a "change." Those are the days we long so much for. The security of youth. 

 Now I realize that not everyone enjoyed that security as a child, but I only speak from my perspective. I would say I was raised in a middle-class family; lower middle class is probably a bit more accurate. I did have security, a roof over my head, food to eat, parents that cared, siblings that "guided" me, and a place in the community. I was well aware of what was expected of me, and what was required as well. It was a comfortable world. I didn't have everything I wanted, but I had what I needed. And that, that is security. That is the security of youth. That is what made those days "good." 

 The blame for the way things are today is always at the feet of someone else. At least in my own mind they are. I've certainly done my best to preserve the past, the moral and ethical values of the past. Well, okay, I have modified those just a bit from what my parents may have believed, what they tried to instill in me, but only for the better. I did make things better. Better for me anyway. That's the truth of the matter. When things become uncomfortable for us, the longing for the good old days begin. It's a result of feeling like you can no longer make a difference, make a change, it is once again out of your hands. 

 The only difference between that feeling today and that feeling when you were a child is the one of empowerment. A word we hear bantered about a great deal these days. When I was young it was called being "responsible" but today it is empowerment. The difference may be subtle, but there is a difference. A responsibility is an obligation, empowerment is permission. I wasn't taught that I needed permission, I was taught it was an obligation. Any empowerment was to come from within myself. God helps those who help themselves is the lesson I was taught. You help yourself by doing what is right. It's your responsibility!

 The good days. Those were the days when you were secure in your person, secure in who you were, and your place in the world. The days lay before you to mold and change. There was optimism. What makes that time good, is the knowledge of how those days turned out. That is security. Security is knowing the answers. That is how I did it back in the day and it worked great. In fact, most people were doing it that way. 

 I can laugh at the mistakes, the missteps, the lack of judgement I sometimes displayed, those days are over. I remember the triumphs, the good old days. I try to pass that knowledge on to the next generation. First with my own children, then with the grandchildren. I do leave out the major mistakes, the major flaws in my character. I may hint at them to make a point, saying I know what they are feeling or doing, I've been there and done that. I'm certain, like younger people do, they hear that with doubt. After all, old people are old, what would they know of the modern world, of the new? This is now!

 I've done what I could. That's how I feel about it all. All I can do now is write my stories, tell the tales, and offer advice. That's my role at this point. It's what I'm supposed to be doing, it's an obligation. I haven't come this far to just give up. I can tell you how it was in the good old days. Everything old will become new again. That's how it works. The only way to discover what will work, and what won't, is to try it. I get that, I understand that completely. All I can really tell you is what worked for me. Thing is, if you aren't doing that, I feel like you are probably wrong. I feel an obligation to inform you of that. You're welcome. I mean, that's how we did it back in the day, in the good old days anyway.