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God Bless America
By Jerry L. Ginther
Sure, as teens and young adults we looked forward to being on our own. Thinking how liberating it would be to experience the good life we would create for ourselves. Wrongly assuming, most of the time, that our parents had wasted their opportunities, and we thought we would never make the same mistakes. After all we were better educated, and the world had left the last generation and their ideas in the proverbial dustbin, along with the horse and buggy.
After the wars, signs of prosperity were everywhere. Indoor plumbing was becoming a reality in every household as outdoor wells and pumps began to disappear. Gas mains delivered natural gas to houses within the cities. Garages and automobiles were appearing next to homes. Air conditioners protruded from windows, and television antennas towered above many houses. We were modernizing, and the new appliances in homes, such as washers and dryers, were becoming status symbols, and clotheslines were becoming obsolete too.
Well, only part of that was true. We were not far into our future before we began to realize that we were inadequately prepared for it. The future, being what it is, unknown, presented many things for which we could not have prepared. We were challenged with an unusual predicament, no road map beyond the present. Figuring out the complexities of our new found liberation was a bit different than we had anticipated. Returning to our elders for advice often did not provide immediate relief. They didn't have the answers first hand either. However, they had what we needed to get to where we wanted to go. They were experienced in problem solving, big problems like survival, a skill we would have to learn if we were to build upon what we had inherited.
While it sounds exciting, could any of us live the pioneer life as it confronted our ancestors? It doesn't sound as thrilling to me, as it might have in my younger years, to move to vacant acreage and call it home. Before you can even begin to farm the land you must build a house of some kind and proceed from there. It doesn't seem to be an undertaking for the inexperienced or a pair of newlyweds does it? No, it was hard work for the seasoned adventurer.
Also, the restrictions now imposed on our freedoms will not end with the passing of this pandemic. Those are likely to remain and more will follow. The truths we now hold dear will rarely be uttered or printed. Yes, "The times they are a changing." I think someone famous once said those words, but anyone could say them at any time. The implied meaning then, as now, is that they are not changing for the better. Now, it may very well be that the decline is so far advanced there is little hope to arrest it.
Notwithstanding the fact that as we age the future still looks perilous. Our parents and grandparents were probably looking forward to better times only to be confronted with World Wars, famine and a worldwide depression. Looking back on my years, I have to say that our fore bearers left us better than they inherited. The World Wars and depression were behind my generation and we have experienced a relatively peaceful and prosperous life. When I compare my life to the lives of my predecessors, I can appreciate the life I have had even more. It saddens me to listen to the assessment of this generation with their spoiled and self-indulgent attitudes. They believe this is as bad as it gets. I fear they are in for a rude awakening.
By Jerry L. Ginther
Bio: Jerry Ginther grew up in Sullivan, IL with a few brief departures over the years. He served two years in the U.S. Army, 1966-68, and was employed by the Illinois Central Railroad as a telegraph operator and train dispatcher for nearly twenty-five years. He and his wife reside in Texas.
Email: Jerry at JG@JerryGinther.com
Copyright © 2002 - 2021 Jerry Ginther, All rights reserved worldwide
