Warm Fuzzy lists of Memories

I recently received a list of warm memories. You've gotten them too I'm sure. You know, those lists that bring back memories of days gone by and how we've lost the innocence of those times through an onslaught of laws and innovation that have stolen a bit of Americana.

I love these lists. There are a bunch of them that have been circulating in email circles for years. The elicit warm memories of days gone by. I like reading them and remembering. Over the past several years I've had the opportunity to attend several High School Commencement ceremonies. Almost always, someone gives a speech regarding the memories that that graduating class holds dear. I'm always amused at how the earliest memories they have are so new! But they talk about them in the same tones as me when I talk about growing up in the 50s.

Funny though, the lists always mention "somebody" stealing away all of the values suggested within the list. That's a revisionist's view of history in my opinion. I think that people weren't so "warm and fuzzy" about life DURING the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Back then I suppose they waxed nostalgic about the 90s, 00s, 10s and 20s. They probably woe d about how everything was going to hell in a hand basket back then too.

Here's a recent list I've received several times over the past 5 or so years.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the

1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O. K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own
good and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's a great list of warm memories.

The last 50 years of inventions and improvements are the result of these people's creativity and innovation. Yes, that's true. And here is a partial list...

...cable Television with 99 channels
...video games.
...motorized vehicles to replace pedal pusher cars.
...gummy worms
...jolt cola - "all the sugar and twice the caffeine"
...about 1000% increase in cartoons
...a junk-food hamburg joint on every other corner
...a society where separation of church and state is more about protecting the state from churches than it is about protecting churches from the state.
...the birth control pill - which fostered the idea that sex is mostly about personal enjoyment and nothing about having babies, which then fostered the idea that abortion is simply another personal choice.
...a society of litigious individuals unable to take responsibility for anything who so often sued everyone with any money that we necessarily need seat belts, warning labels on anything we consume, childproof lids, lead-free paint and bicycle helmets.
...unbelievably real violence depicted with uncanny accuracy on every television show and movie we see every day; all in an effort to so sensationalize the mediums that we're seemingly unable to resist watching. Which, of course, serves to pad the pockets of the Hollywood moguls producing them. But that's their purpose anyway, right?
...the "numbing down" of violence by the aforementioned productions to such a degree that BB guns are now a "viable weapon" instead of a pretend toy.
...a need for approval by everyone for everything to the extent that we all believe that we should, by right, never have to be disappointed. And we believe this so completely that we almost literally force everyone to succeed even if the success is completely "manufactured." Even though no one "loses" with such trumped up benchmarks, nobody really wins either because true success by achievement has become an "evil" thing that supposedly separates people, rather than something to be looked upon with admiration.

Yes, we enjoyed all of those listed things. But we are culpable for their demise at the same time. We raised the succeeding generations. We set the benchmarks. We allowed the changes to happen. We appointed or elected the morons who sit on the bench and allow companies to be successfully sued on the behalf of idiots who maim, burn, shoot and slice themselves with the products those companies produce, making those same idiots millionaires in the process. We allow criminals, child molesters, to get away with murder and gross indecencies again and again under the guise of building their self-esteem at the expense of their victims. We create laws that allow drunks the privilege of driving again and again, while drunk again and again. After all, that drunk is somebody's dad and what would happen to those kid's self-esteem if dad had to spend time in jail because he broke the law?

Yes, I would love to go back to a simpler time too. It's certainly fun to reminisce. Unfortunately, my freedom still ends where someone else's nose begins. That means I don't get to choose the things on the list that I want us all to “go back to.” But I can foster an environment in my home where right is right and wrong is wrong. I can tell my children that sin still exists. I can tell them that although there is gray, there is black and white too. Just because something isn't illegal does not mean it's not wrong and that just because something is legal does not mean it's necessarily right.

My granddaughter watches TV; movies and cartoons and kid's programs. She also paints with watercolors and felt tipped markers. She makes snow angels and "helps" hang Christmas lights. She runs a hundred miles an hour and needs to be reminded to slow down in the house. She eats candy and lots of it. She also needs to eat her vegetables first. She likes to cuddle with grandma and wrestle with dad. She sings and dances to any music playing. She's learning to count; in both English and Spanish by watching a cartoon program. She rides her bike and struggles with the pedals. She gives her baby sister hugs and kisses, but sometimes wishes mom would put her back in her belly. She's only two and a half, but she prays before meals and before bed. She goes to church with her mom and dad and sings the worship songs until she goes to the nursery. She knows how to spit - "outside only grandpa" - and giggles when she does it.

It's fun to reminisce. But our lives really aren't much different now than “back then” if we don't let them be. We are as responsible for the changes around us as anyone else. Change is inevitable and it's no different for us than for our forefathers before our grandparents.

Want to really go back?

Give up your...

...microwave oven
...glass top range and self-cleaning oven.
...double well stainless steel sink
...satellite and cable TV
...remote controls
...DVDs, VCRs and Tivos. (Of course if you really want to watch a program, you'll need to be sitting in front of the TV when the TV people say so.)
...video tape rentals. (What's wrong with going to the theater anyway?)
...heck! Give up the TV altogether! (Now, there is a real solution that would probably work to restore the days of yore. But even though I know that, I don't DO it. I simply won't choose to give up some of the TV I watch!)
...fuel injected, computer controlled automobile engines. (Yeah, I really miss sticking my head underneath the hood of a car and prying open a frozen choke on a 20 degree winter day.)
...instant, push button connections via cell phones to your spouse and kids.
...efficient gas furnaces and water heaters. (Think the cost is too much? Try shoveling coal... I seem to remember a house we lived in where coal was still used. Somehow that missed the list.)
...music CDs (why use these? What was wrong with scratchy, fragile vinyl records anyway? Remember the warm fuzzy of running down to the store to buy a new stylus? (that's a record player needle for you youngsters – ask your dad what a record player is.)).
...Oh! and most of all, give up all these Emails!

The list gives us pause to remember a sepia toned time of nostalgia. But it misses the point entirely with two things.

Take an honest look at this statement:

>You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up
>as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own
>good and while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how
>brave their parents were.

Now that's one telling statement. It shows the heart of the problem in two areas; our concept of government and our thoughts about bravery. First, I thought this was a government of the people. At least that's what I was taught. Aren't lawyers subject to the laws of our country? So, they are, in the end analysis, subject to what we, the people, allow them to do via our voice in a representative government. "They" didn't regulate us for our own good. "We" did. Or more correctly we let them do it for us while we sat warm and toasty in our easy chairs, remote control in hand, and entertained ourselves with the tripe emanating from the tube.

Second, as far as bravery goes, I don't get it! We fought wars on foreign soil to promote what we are unwilling to defend at home. That's not bravery, that's complacency. Brave fathers turn off the TV/VCR/Satellite/Mp3 player/CD/Radio or whatever and take their children out to teach them about life. Brave fathers know how to say no with a velvet fist. Brave fathers spend time with their children exploring their interests and build quality young men and women in the process. Brave fathers become "guides on the side," encouraging their children to achieve in the areas where they are blessed.

Brave mothers demand a few family meals a week. Brave mothers turn off the television while the meal is on the table. Brave mothers lead by example, doing the work instead of demanding the work be done by someone else. Brave mothers bake a pie and take it to "that" family in "that" house and attempt to befriend them. Young men and women see such things and learn from it. Most people watch "that" family from inside their home and tell each other what "they" did now. Young men and women see such things and learn from them.

Brave coaches tell little Joey that he won't make the team this year. Brave coaches tell Joey's mom that he's willing to spend some time with Joey to help him learn how to make the team the next time even though there is no guarantee. Brave parents know that not every child is talented in every area. Brave parents notice their children's gifts and find ways to build upon them. Many parents want their child to be shielded from any disappointment. But that's not the real world and fostering that "entitlement" attitude in children is just plain wrong. Sooner or later we all have to deal with shattered dreams and terrible losses. Dealing with the loss of a position on the little league team is a great way to get started. Especially so if a brave dad would come along side of that kid, discover his gift or talent and begin building on it. Losses help make success all the sweeter.

Brave people stand up for what's right and condemn what's wrong. Pure and simple. Some things are just wrong. Most people watch what happens around them and shrug their shoulders. Brave people get on the telephone or go to the meeting and begin finding out how to make a difference.

Am I a gloomy gus? I don't think so. I think that the good old days still exist. We just don't see them. We don't choose them. We don't fight for them. I like the list. I really do. I remember all of those things with fondness. I hope that my children and grandchildren remember the days we're living in now and create their own list of fond remembrances about them. Likewise, I'm sure my great, great, grandfather's grandfather would look at the life my grandfather lived and shrug his shoulders with wonder too.

The lawyers and governors of our country can't steal our valued lifestyle unless we let them and that is not their intent. They've got Email too. Let them know. Let the congressmen, senators, governors, presidents, military officials, business owners, pastors and priests know what you believe is important about life in America. It's easy to do. If you truly believe they are in control and stealing the American lifestyle out of our hands, tell them about it. Who cares if they think you're old fashioned or "out of it." They already do anyway. You can tell by their actions and legislation and sometimes by the personal choices they make.

I'll tell you what, here's your challenge for the week: Turn of the television. Really. See if you can do it. turn it off and do something else. Want a suggestion?

How about making a difference in the lives of the children you wish had it as good as you did. How about starting a knitting club, a chess club, a writing club, a wood working/gardening/jogging/computer/video/radio/shortwave/cooking/bird watching/painting/modeling/whatever-else-you-can-think-of club. Call the local school and ask to have a statement put in the bulletin announcing that you're starting it. Get involved with some kids. Teach them about the stuff on the list. Get them involved with something other than TV/Entertainment choices. Tell them about how great life was back in the day you grew up. Teach them about life as you know it now. All you have to do is tell them the stories. They'll listen. They love to hear stories. You can make a difference that can bring back the values of days gone by.

Or you can watch TV.