Mind you, some things need to be left in the past. Pan toilets for one. Also
Lead in petrol.
Heavy industry belching pollution.
Institutionalised sex discrimination (woman's wage, men-only jobs)
Racist attitudes (though we still have a way to go)
Unsafe cars (though I do love many of them) and the high road toll
And I'm sure we all know it ... school milk left in the sun.
The demise of the door to door encyclopedia salesman is likewise not to be lamented.
I also miss the world of my youth but I don't blame the kids of today for the world in which they are growing up. Who took away the open spaces and bred a generation of helicopter parents?
I also note the words of Ian Jones, author of a Ned Kelly biography. He listed the long and impressive list of skills young Ned possessed: all aspects of animal husbandry, bush carpentry, butter making, fencing, leatherwork and of course an excellent rider. All that but he was illiterate and was totally ignorant of what we would have considered common knowledge in our youth: electricity, phone, TV, internal combustion engines. He never drove a car and he would have made Leon look computer savvy (sorry mate). The point Ian makes is that each generation learns the skills and knowledge appropriate to their world. I know an 11yo who is making a movie on his tablet (editing, sound overlays etc). When I was his age I could chop the fire wood for our open fire, start the fire, tend it and clean up in the morning. Which skill is more relevant today?
Sorry for the burst of philosophy. It started as a fun post but grew. But it's typed now so I'll push send.
