| By Bob Weaver
It is imperative that old people remind young people about how things use to be. They can't help ourselves.
We seem to mostly be annoyed by 21st Century technology, with a lack of bring connected to each other as human beings, except through some kind of electronic device.
Person-to-person, human to human conversation is out.
Calhoun's demise of being connect to land line phones hasn't helped much, no longer a phone book, with sketchy cell phone service.
My peeve is about younger folk walking around aimlessly with a device in their hand, unaware of the people and world around them.
Maybe for the third time, driving into Spencer, I had enough mental proclivity to slam on the brakes to keep from hitting a pedestrian who seemed to be unaware of oncoming traffic, device in face.
Honestly, I'm also annoyed that younger people do not have the time to listen to my story telling.
There are hundreds of things in 21st Century life that exceed the good ole days, and maybe old people like me should give them more due.
Somehow we just can't seem to do it.
While we ruminate about the poor statistics with US educational outcomes, we should note that in my high school class of 1958, 160 students started the Freshman year and only 80 graduated.
What was different, it was a time of boundless opportunity for country boys and girls. Lots of jobs. Most of them did well.
While many focus on drop-out kids and welfare-ites as useless and unproductive, maybe if there would be boundless opportunity in the 21st Century, they too could fare well.
Perhaps the good ole days rises as a time when life was much slower, there was time to appreciate the little things and build human connections without the distractions.
I really do contend that coming of age in the 1950s was the best of times in America.
Unfortunately, we live in a time that is selfishly driven, being entertained to death, driven by conspicuous consumption.
Perhaps young folks in 2020s will recall their life and times as the best ever.
I hope so.
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