The Summer of DIScontent

So here we are in the middle of more heat - both weather-wise and social media-wise.

There is a plethora of reactions across social media, television, videos, newspaper articles etc, where “DIS Content I like, while DAT Content I don’t like” is taking over society.

I have never written about politics good or bad - and don’t intend to start now but today’s climate of somehow “politicizing” one person’s comments versus another is increasing day by day.

I may disagree with your comments or criticism, but I completely defend your right to say it. Why has so-called “free speech” become so polarized and “costly”?

As an old guy, clearly, I live in “yesterday world”. I get it. That makes me old-fashioned I suppose - fair enough.

But I still love the notion that two persons (see, I didn’t say “guys” or “men” or “mates”, just “persons”) could have a heated argument about everyday issues, knock lumps off each other verbally yet when one said, “Fancy a drink? the other person said, “Right on bro”. And off they went to the local pub. Then two hours and five drinks later they couldn’t remember what they were arguing about.

Now that’s comfortable living.

We often hear about “The Good Old Days”, right?

Well as I recall, those days weren’t as good as they are made out to be.

We had wars, famines, weather events, depressions, no jobs, poor sanitation, a lack of money for even the basics of life.

I remember going to primary school in Scotland (age 5-11). We all had to walk - in all kinds of weather - to get there (in my case over a mile). We didn’t have a change of clothes when we arrived, so if we were soaked through, we had to stand beside the fire (common in many schools at that time in each classroom, especially in Scotland !!) and dry out - not easy with 20 kids doing the same. Then we got soaked going home again.

Holes in shoes and socks was commonplace (me included).

Oh, and did I mention, no Internet and only ONE abysmal TV station. No cell phones or tablets. Entertainment was going out on the street with the other kids with a tennis ball cos we couldn’t afford a real foot-ball, to play in the road. This probably was the biggest cause of damaged shoes of course. “Is Billy coming out to play” was the knock on the door mantra.

We didn’t have play-dates or birthday parties or trips to McDonalds or the movies - we couldn’t afford the ticket. Weekends consisted of reading books (remember them?) or listening to radio music (no selection criteria of course - we could only listen to what the station played).

And these were the Good Old Days ….. really?

But hold on …. I’ve finally got this one figured out.

Compared to …

….. today’s 7/24 bombardment of social media posts and opinions and attacks and bizarre opinions, from experts self-called, those really WERE good days.

Most of us lived a simple life. We went to bed with a clear conscience. We went to school to be taught not indoctrinated - we craved knowledge. We played with friends and sometimes we’d fall out, but the next day we’d fall back in again. We cherished the natural things around us - fields, trees, rivers (or “burns” as we called them). We had corner grocery stores (sometimes referred to as the “Cooperative”) with good food - supermarkets were unheard of. If we wanted a new record (remember them also?) we didn’t whine to our parents, we saved our pocket money (oops, remember that?) and bought it ourselves. The fact that we only had 5 records in our bedrooms didn’t faze us at all.

Anyhoo, there we are.

Those days are indeed gone and will never return.

But a wee bit of nostalgia and thoughts of good times serves us well - especially us Old Persons!!

Bye