As we continue to age and lot us like to harken back to the good old days. We like to think of them as when life was simpler, there were less rules and regulations we had to adhere to. Where with a good relationships with our neighbors and folk knew how to get along. There weren't all those blasted gadgets we didn't understand and if something busted you just fixed it and didn't have to buy a new one. There weren't a lot of race, gender, creedal issues and you didn't have to worry about being politically correct. In our intertainment on radio or TV the good guys wore white hats, the bad buys wore black hats and the good whited hatted folk just shot the black hatted bad guys and peace ensued. Cops could always be trusted, teachers taught reading, writing and arithmatic and you didn't have to know much of anything else. Most of us had indoor plumbing and lights. Outings were generally with neighbors and family where we would eat good food and play games and most folk just go along with no big political or religious fighting. Most folk were farmers or lived in small towns where everyone was pretty much like everybody else. And at 11 o'clock on Sunday morning almost everybody were in churches that were all basically the same. Ah, the good old days.
But just how good were they really? True, there were less rules and regulations, but those rules and regulations generally were created as safeguard to the public welfare not just to make life difficult. There were less traffic rules as there was less traffic. There were no regulations for pesticides and herbecides because there weren't any. If you burnt your trash and buried your tin cans it was no big deal because there weren't that many of us. Less people, less polution. And, if you neighbors were messy you just lived with it or community pressure made them shape up. There was a lot of community pressure to conform and do whatever others did. Woe to the nonconformist who came up with something new like paint their house with colorful polka dots; responsible just didn't do colorful polka dots and folk that did were quick to be condemned and even ostracized.
Then came dial telephone and "central" the phone operators lost their jobs. We lost a lost of good gossip and prying when there were not party lines to listen in on, but we gained quite a bit of privacy and convience. Washing machines and dryers were what they were advertised to be, "labor saving devices." People we trusted like teachers, police, preachers and the like, were often bullies who like to lord it over others unlike the radio and TV ideals we saw. But most things could do good things.
For preachers and other folk who did a lot of research we no longer had to go to libraries or have a lot of our own books and the internet came, research became a breeze and we could not many time more things that we used to be able to do.
Roads improved, wages increased, labor saving devices really did help us with daily chores and we began to have a lot more neighbors with varied backgrounds that help extend our knowledge of the world. TV expanded our world vision emmensely and changed our perspectives on almost everything. It was easier to become smarter and wiser about a plethora of things because of all these inventions. Productivity from farm products to factory made stuff, goods and services just kept increasing and we took this abundant life for granted.
Perhaps the are the good new days and we just to appreciate it or have used them as wisely as we should have. The potential for good from modern technology is mind boggling and indeed has improved life. Our problem generaly comes when we use the tools of productive for greedy purposes to gain advantage over others, to accentuate selfish aims over the common good.
If we lived in communities that felt more accountable to each other, and viewed as friends to work togetehr for the common good, these would be the good new days. The good old days were often repressive, the new days just have more aninimity and less accountability so sometimes we are more isolated than when there were less of us and we didn't live in massive populations centers. If we see new people and new places, and new mechanisms and fearful and repressive than opportunities to expand our horizons and appreciate diversity and benefit from other perspective; these days can be as oppressive and the days of yore.
In reality there is more good news than bad news in the world. Things really are much better for a lot of folk, despite current history were greedy indidividualistic wealthy folk abuse other and control government. If we look for good news we will find it in loving neighbors, new opportunties, and the like. Unfortunately bad news sells better than good news.
As I used to tell my congregations spend less time listening to the news; that doesn't mean ignore it, just just give more time and importance to reading scripture and you will have a more realistic and positive view of the world. The word gospel still means good news - look for it.
It is very difficult to be optomistic in these times. If my confidence was dependent upon human nature I would be completely discouraged. But like the psalmist in scripture, who spent a lot of time complaining as well, we have a relationship with a God who for not apparent reason to me seems to be madly, passionately and rediculously in love with humanity. Talk to her more and your attitude will be enhanced.
I believe if we do these things to enhance our conversaton and connection with God, concentrate of the teaching of Jesus and others of wisdom whether secular or sacred, we will gain the courage, confidence and conviction to work of the challanges that face our society and world today. Here's to the Good New Days!
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