In My Day

Okay, I hope I can put off full-blown geezerdom for another decade, maybe even two, but I'm becoming resigned to one day sharing a park bench with the equally decrepit and whiling away an afternoon reminiscing about the good old days.

Surely every generation does that.   They look at the up and coming younger generation with a mixture of envy, resentment and sympathy.   My elders did/do it but I expect in a way unique to their own experiences.   After all, they endured the Great Depression and WWII and emerged to form a new Canada with a strong middle class and widespread opportunity and prosperity.

The generation or two that followed pretty much took what was handed them on a platter and enjoyed the unprecedented opportunity and prosperity, even taking it pretty much for granted.  That probably accounts for the ease by which we consider ourselves aggrieved today.

But when it comes my turn to sit that bench, I expect we'll look at the next generation of youth with far more sympathy and far less envy than preceding generations.   "In my day" will no longer be code for unappreciated sacrifice.   No, it will be used to conjure memories of the Nirvana we once had that is no more and never will be.  We will look at these kids and realize they will never have the carefree 60s or the buoyant 70s or the easy affluence of the 80s and 90s.  They will have no experience of the world before constant growth finally sent it slamming into walls.   And, for that, they are to be pitied.