My husband is very kind to remind me that we were once young and foolish…thoughtless, self-absorbed, prone to be irresponsible, easily distracted, not exactly known for keeping our word. Ha, indeed, my husband is most gracious to remind me of these things, because I genuinely do take great comfort in his tales of our misspent youth. They reassure me that the world has not gone quite as mad as it appears to have gone.
Also it is quite charming to be instructed to look upon the young people not with envy or despair, but with eyes that simply say, “Yep, but for the grace of God there go I.” Fortunately I lived to tell the tale of being young and grew out of such foolishness.
Hubby is always right of course, part of the problem is that I am older and wiser, that my eyes see the world far more clearly now than they used to. Just the same, I am afraid that does not tell the whole story. I changed yes, but the world seems to have changed too, so while I may have once been young and foolish, I never was as bloody young and foolish as those I see around me.
My kids do not believe me, not really, especially my youngest. She has no idea what I am even talking about, the world as it once was doesn’t even exist for her and she has known nothing else but The Way Things Are Today. We shall just call that TWTAT, a sad reflection on a culture that has truly gone to the dogs.
My kid thinks I am quaint, old-fashioned, from another time, with all these crazy ideas about behavior and social norms. Her perception of me often makes me feel a bit like a school marm or a fussy grandma or something.
I am losing the war, the culture war in my own home, I have been for many years. These crazy, crazy things I have fought so hard for, like the importance of picking up your garbage rather than tossing it out the car window… gone. The dignity of using a soft tone of voice….gone. The way we just don’t race our cars up and down the street…gone. The value of not using one particular four letter word as an adjective, noun, and verb…gone. Gone, all gone. I am left waving my white flag of surrender or as the young people see it, perhaps my little lace hankie from another time.
I am down for the count, let me tell you, but not quite beaten. Those tiny seeds have all been planted and they sit there under that cold and infertile ground just waiting to detonate.
Paul said:
Bwahaha! “detonate” love it IB. Well, you would be seriously surprised at what a difference you make in people’s lives – they just don’t want you to know it. I can list a hundred times in my life when i was just being a decent person that came back to me years or even decades later positively. When I was 21 I owned my own tractor trailer and ran long haul. I’d been there about 6 months when we got a new accountant – Debbie – who worked the front end with the drivers, doing their paperwork and fuel tax. I didn’t know it but I dropped by the office one day and it was her first day at a new job. I introduced my self, welcomed her, told her it was great to have her working with us, and that she would enjoy the job – and I shook her hand. I worked there for about 7 more years then went elsewhere and I met Debbie about 10 years later – when I was 31, We had a coffee and and she told me that my welcome that day really made a big difference to her and set the tone for her new job. Whenever she was having a bad day, she would remember my welcome and she would look at the problems with a new perspective I had a guy that I fired come back, shake my hand and thank me (mind you I got him a new job that better fit his skill set) and tell me that they had no idea how unhappy he was until he tried the new job (The guy hated people and our trucking job was with customers all the time – he couldn’t hack it and I called an old boss and old him the guy was a perfect employee – just couldn’t stand people so they gave him a job doing pin to pin every night two trips to Montreal – he didn’t see a single soul from the time he started his day until he finished).
My point is if that many come back years later and say thank you – how many have you helped whionever saw you again?
Remember your relationship is with Christ, not the church (I know, I know, you have a calling – God is indeed mysterious IB, as you are, you make a good pair – Bwahaha!) 😀 )
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insanitybytes22 said:
What a great comment, Paul. I really do appreciate your stories and your words of wisdom.
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Tricia said:
I know what you mean. It’s true everyone goes through their phase of doing stupid/rude things and and being insufferably self absorbed and thinking they just know all there is to know about everything. Shoot, some never grow out of this. It sure took me a long time.
I think the difference now and why I am so pessimistic about the future is there no longer seems to be a shared view of what is right and wrong behavior. It used to be you’re young and dumb but you kind of knew that deep down inside and as you got older you strove to be better. I just don’t see that now and not just in young people.
I’m sure you have influenced your kids in many good ways though that, like Paul says, you aren’t even aware of.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thanks, Tricia. I’m glad you can see some of the problems within our culture. I think you’re right, people hardly even seem to understand right from wrong anymore.
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ColorStorm said:
Great song/vid. Never heard of him, nice.
Just one word as to the aloofness of our young, and the seeming ‘lostness’ of their center. Some seeds take longer to germinate…..and sprout……..and grow……….. 😉 But they do. and they remember the strongest drum sound…….. Mom and Dad.
In the meantime we hope don’t we msbytes.
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auroraroschen said:
Poignant post – and one I can relate to, though I am of the Millennial generation. It often feels like each new generation is falling further and further away from morality, but I imagine that has always been the perception of the older generation. OT Israel shows a history of disobedience, disrespect and rampant immorality, followed by cycles of repentance and restoration; then back to their sinful ways. I’d surmise this is a cycle of both individuals and society as a whole, all in need of redemption.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Good point, Aurora! Perhaps these things come in cycles? In which case there maybe hope for us after all, as a species I mean. 🙂
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janjoy52 said:
Fun music video! Nice touch!
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