I Feel Blessed for When I was Born

[WVOldFart]

Title edited. See rule 9. -jpm

I know every generation believes that what they had growing up was "the best ever." I believe that I was blessed to have been born when I was to experience so many exceptional things. I have lived during the years of Classic Rock of the 60's and 70's. Music was so good during this era that probably the most listened to stations in the country today are still classic rock stations. Country music sounded like country- not rock music with a country twang. I lived before Performance Advancing Drugs infiltrated baseball. Baseball, while still slow at times, was definitely America's past time. Skilled athletes played during the 60's, 70's and 80's. Kids played it whenever possible in their sandlot parks. Football in the 60's and 70's were played in the mud,biter cold and elements that became an essential aspect of the game. The players played for the love of the game. I remember football greats like Johnny Unitas having to have off season jobs to make a decent living. Those were the days before multi-million dollar contracts that made athletes feel as if they didn't have to be role models for the nation's youth. Forgive me for thinking back on the years, but I don't think it is ever bad to feel blessed or to feel that life didn't owed me something. There are many positive things for every generation, but if you grew up in the 60's and 70's, I believe we were " truly blessed" and had the best in so many different categories. A lot of the forum members are in my age category. I hope you feel blessed also. Please respond and give me your thoughts. Of course, you don't have to agree with me, that's what makes this forum great.

 

[mikethompson]

I guess depending on who you were and where you were born come into play.

I agree that music peaked in the 1970s ?

 

[mso489]

There's the positive and the negative, the yin and the yang. The good parts of my growing up years in the mid-1940's through the early 60's was that I was a free-ranging kid. My parents didn't feel obligated to have me in supervised activities every hour of my out-of-school day. My parents stayed together. I was close with all four of my grandparents, especially one member of each of the two couples. My dad was thrifty enough not to be a status seeker, but prosperous enough to provide a home in a safe community, abundant food, and support for college. To save him money, on my own decision, I commuted to school the first two years of college, and transferred to a state with lower out-of-state tuition than my own in-state tuition, and got out of school with no student debt, which is almost unimaginable today. I did a graduate degree on G.I. Bill. So I count my blessings. Negatives included growing up under the shadow of the military draft, ominous to me since early childhood. Military service was not one of my ambitions. But I count my blessings, which are many.

 

[STP]

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s and agree that music was better in the 70’s… but the 90’s grunge wasn’t too shabby either. Technology aside, it certainly seems that things were nostalgically better in past than today. I think most realize this as even my kid comments that it’d would be cool to grow-up in the olden days, aka, pre-2000?

 

[jpmcwjr]

The blessings of growing up feeling and being safe and what Tom says above are slightly offset by poor cars, rotten TV and having to read to get news! And you'd have to pick up a land line to talk to anyone. No texting or streaming. Zounds!!

 

[BROBS]

Back when women couldn’t vote and segregation was still in effect. The good ol days for you?

 

[WVOldFart]

I believe some may not be getting the idea of my thread. I grew up on a dairy farm in West Virginia with health issues. The sixties were times of assassinations, Vietnam War, draft, and unrest. They were troubling times, but when it came to music and sports, I believe those were the golden years. The music was great and our sports heroes were real. Everyone gets shit on in some way in life, but I like to live with an attitude of gratitude. I did not have an easy childhood, but I feel "blessed" to have been able to enjoy some great music and sports.

 

[DanWil84]

OK Boomer! Just kidding.

I'm what they call late millennial, but somehow still got some values from the boomer generation. I think my grandparents on my mothers side are the reason for that. In some values me and my wife still live in the 50's and 60's of the last century, but like @BROBS puts in his own peculiar way, a more modern sauce over it. Some values from that era are bad, very bad.

 

[Franco Pipenbeans]

Title edited. See rule 9. -jpm

I know every generation believes that what they had growing up was "the best ever." I believe that I was blessed to have been born when I was to experience so many exceptional things. I have lived during the years of Classic Rock of the 60's and 70's. Music was so good during this era that probably the most listened to stations in the country today are still classic rock stations. Country music sounded like country- not rock music with a country twang. I lived before Performance Advancing Drugs infiltrated baseball. Baseball, while still slow at times, was definitely America's past time. Skilled athletes played during the 60's, 70's and 80's. Kids played it whenever possible in their sandlot parks. Football in the 60's and 70's were played in the mud,biter cold and elements that became an essential aspect of the game. The players played for the love of the game. I remember football greats like Johnny Unitas having to have off season jobs to make a decent living. Those were the days before multi-million dollar contracts that made athletes feel as if they didn't have to be role models for the nation's youth. Forgive me for thinking back on the years, but I don't think it is ever bad to feel blessed or to feel that life didn't owed me something. There are many positive things for every generation, but if you grew up in the 60's and 70's, I believe we were " truly blessed" and had the best in so many different categories. A lot of the forum members are in my age category. I hope you feel blessed also. Please respond and give me your thoughts. Of course, you don't have to agree with me, that's what makes this forum great.

I think that you are probably correct sir, though I can’t attest to the quality of baseball being played back then but, if it was anything like football of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, when half time consisted of three cigarettes and two pints of bitter, I can well imagine it.

For those born post second world war, you hit the generational jackpot, especially in the West and, more specifically the US - maybe not so much in the USSR but then they look back fondly on those post war years as we do so ?‍.

A world of affordable, food, housing, vehicles, petrol/gas, tobacco, entertainment, clothes; an increase in leisure time that gave a work/life balance attainable for most. The cost of living wasn’t onerous, taxation didn’t make you feel like you were financially treading water in syrup constantly and you had the music - boy did you have the music!

I read a paper, many years ago when I was at University, the hypothesis of which was - the arts became largely void of meaning and talent, approximately one generation after the television came into the home on a grand scale. This was a paper in Manchester, the perceived wisdom being that t.v in the home became popular in in Britain around 1953 with the Coronation of Elizabeth II. Interestingly, there is an interview with Paul McCartney when he talks about sagging off school with John to write songs and how he caught his kids sagging off school to watch “Neighbours”, an awful Australian soap opera in the ‘80’s so there could be something in it? Interestingly, by 1970, 95% of US households had a tv -https://www.census.gov/history/www/homepage_archive/2015/october_2015.html and one generation later, the arts had, arguably, gone downhill in comparison.

I, for one, am thankful that I grew up in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, the last outpost of the analogue world. Kids have it too rough these days - they aren’t allowed to go anywhere because of parental concerns and they can’t escape their peers for even 30 seconds. People wander round transfixed by their phone, to the point that they zombie walk into the road and then blame someone else.

The modern world is great in many respects, for example, this wonderful treasure trove of pipers knowledge. I would have asked my grandad about what to do if this happened or that happened, if the baccy does this or tastes like that but now I consider you guys to be like my surrogate grandad in a way.

The modern world is also rubbish in a lot of ways as the West slowly loses primacy in the world, all the unrest that comes with it - “when Britain lost it’s Empire they had a party and called it the 1960’s” I can’t remember who said that though.

We should cherish now though, these will be the good old days of tomorrow, unless your good old days were the ‘50’s or the ‘60’s cos they were the good old days that all other good old days will be measured against.

This is only my opinion - get rid of the tv, bin the smartphones.

Happy pipes ✌?

 

[warren]

There's fond memories and stark reality. Obviously, most prefer to remember fond memories.

 

[briarbuck]

Clearly, we are on the downside. It was fun.

 

[MarcosEZLN]

I think just about the most any of us can hope for is to be thankful for the privileges our circumstances afford and mindful of how those privileges might come at the expense of those less fortunate. As @BROBS points out, the golden age for some groups were the dark ages for others. When I find myself jealous of the affordable housing/college educations of the 1960s I remember that had I been born black, gay, female, native american, or a member of many other persecuted groups my birth might not have felt so well timed.

As a millennial I feel lucky to have been born in a time when so much progress has been made towards equality, relative to mid century America. We have a hell of a ways to go, though, and I'm not feeling very confident that the planet of tomorrow is one in which that struggle can take precedence. The opulence of 20th century life racked up some global expenses, and it feels very much like that bill is coming due. Frankly, I'll be relieved if I don't die in the Climate Wars of 2040.

 

[WVOldFart]

There's fond memories and stark reality. Obviously, most prefer to remember fond memories.

Absolutely, the bad memories and stark reality we try to deal with and if possible change for the better. The fond memories we hold dear to our hearts.

 

[BROBS]

There's fond memories and stark reality. Obviously, most prefer to remember fond memories.

Well put.

 

[LotusEater]

Context is everything - society is constantly evolving and there are aspects of past epochs that were terrible just as there are aspects of the present that are terrible.
I don’t think the OP was meant as social/ political commentary.

There are plenty of innocuous things I remember about the time before cell phones and the inter web that make me smile. Two small examples are the excitement and anticipation of waiting for the latest issue of my favorite magazines to be published and traveling (anywhere) without a gps map to guide me.

My kid’s life is so different than mine was

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

The world is a different place from what it used to be when I was young.
I guess every generation from the start of humankind would say the same thing.

 

[BROBS]

Now imagine my grandfather born in 1911 going from riding horses to cars to modern day and all the changes he saw in his lifetime.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

As my grandfather born in 1910 said, “the good old days were never that good”.

 

[BROBS]

As my grandfather born in 1910 said, “the good old days were never that good”.

Yes I’m sure all the babies dying of preventable disease was pretty amazing.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Context is everything - society is constantly evolving and there are aspects of past epochs that were terrible just as there are aspects of the present that are terrible.
I don’t think the OP was meant as social/ political commentary.

There are plenty of innocuous things I remember about the time before cell phones and the inter web that make me smile. Two small examples are the excitement and anticipation of waiting for the latest issue of my favorite magazines to be published and traveling (anywhere) without a gps map to guide me.

My kid’s life is so different than mine was.

Well, at least you can still use a paper map and compass if you choose!

I imagine that a lot of kids used only to Google or Apple Maps have a hard time knowing which way is up- I.e. What is N, S, E or W!