FLBear5630 said:KaiBear said:FLBear5630 said:J.R. said:FLBear5630 said:J.R. said:nein51 said:redfish961 said:Sam Lowry said:redfish961 said:Sam Lowry said:redfish961 said:KaiBear said:redfish961 said:
I lived in a better world than my stepdaughter will and that is sad.
My parents lived in a better world than I
And I live in a better world than my children will inherit.
The only thing I can do for my grandchildren is leave them as much cash as possible.
After that it will all come down to luck and their choices.
I don't think my parents lived in a better world.
Vietnam, Watergate, Kent st, etc.
I think I grew up in as perfect a world and country as it gets.
I wish it was still the same.
Baseball in the cul de sacs using tennis balls so we didn't break any windows.
Neighborhood football teams that would play each other in the park on saturdays.
Chasing crawdads, snapping turtles, bullfrogs, and fish, while wading in the creeks.
No video games, no cellphones, no spam, no e-mails.
Just hard work and fun.
I lived in a better world than my parents.
Unfortunately, even as much as I try, that life probably will be lost on my doodle because most just doen't live that way anymore.
If I may ask, what generation are you?
1966...I don't put myself in a box, so I don't know what that generation makes me.
All I know is I was too young to understand the bull****, but I sure had a lot of fun.
FYI, my entire family was military.
Grandfather (retired USAF), Grandfather (retired USN), Father (retired USN), Uncle (USN), Uncle (USN), Uncle (USN), Uncle (USN), Aunt (USN), Uncle (USCG), Brother (USMC), and me (US Army).
Granted, I'm biased and didn't live the life most on this board did.
No racism, no woke, not wealthy, but a healthy respect for brotherhood.
I'm quite thankful for that.
Memories over materials all day long.
Thanks, I was thinking you were older for some reason. I grew up pretty much as you describe. Wish my kids had more of those memories.
Well, I probably look older, but it's well deserved.
You are not supposed to arrive at home base fresh and ready.
You are supposed to be skin burnt, scarred, and bleeding.
That means you have lived and not simply existed.
Life was better then.
Technology is great, but it also a bane on society.
I honestly could do without it and I think as a culture we would be better off.
As humans we tend to make things more complex than it needs to be.
Keep things simple and life gets better for everyone.
Live hard, play hard, die young and leave a good looking corpse.
FTR I generally agree with you but your kids will have it better than you did and their kids will have it better. Our time is a speck. The odds are you're typing this on a computer in your hand that send a message to outer space and back in seconds. That, in and of itself, is insane.
The default across time is chaos and war. Not peace. So we have had a relatively large span of time that's out of the norm.
I'll give you an example. I was in the auto repair business forever. Customers used to say things like "back in the good old days" and I would always respond with "you're either too young to remember those days or your memory is no good". You can buy a car right now, put oil and fuel in it and drive for 5-6-7-10 years. In the 1950s-1980s a car with 100k was fit for the scrap heap for the most part. They required constant maintenance and I mean constant. In the 90s my shop was doing 70 cars a day. The average for stores now is in the upper 20s and busy shops are at 35ish. Things get better over time but our memories are better than that reality was.
In any event to the OP; when we started teaching Americans that we aren't the best and most important civilization that ever existed that's a problem. The number of Americans that will **** all over this country but have never spent a day outside her borders is incredible.
Last paragraph is so spot on. Travel is education and understanding different countries/cultures. We ain't got it all figured out as you mentioned. I'm prolly the poster boy for travel. (44 countries)Got to see the world on someone else's nickel. Lived in 2 countries. Now living in 3rd. Starting a business here which is certainly different than the I started in the US. Heck, I'd submit we have tons of great places to visit in the US. Something for everyone.
The most closed-minded people I have met stayed within 50 miles of where they were born.
I don't think travel is enough. Living somewhere else forces you to address differences. A week here or there at an all-inclusive or on a cruise ship really doesn't impact realizing that other cultures have perspectives that may not align with ours and also have value.
I do agree entirely. Living somewhere different is a way different experience. I'm living it. Trying to blend in as much as a Farong (westerner) can. Going to language class 5 days a week. Have had to dial back the American Type A business guy to a much softer approach. I take public transportation everywhere and don't miss a car. When we lived in Paris, we made the kids 13 and 14 take the metro, lived in a neighborhood, no speaking English, no English menus. Great experience. I do think that folks who can't take away and live somewhere else, I highly recommend when traveling, be a traveler , not a tourist. I find value and going to a spot for a week or 2 and taking in the local culture and not hopping about at 100k feet and see only tourist attractions. just my take
At least my view. When you come to FL, we know.
Who gives a **** ?
Well, same that cares about hearing about your perfect kids... So, call it a push.
My kids are doing very well thank you.
But only my daughter is perfect.
Meanwhile no one gives a **** about any of your rather ridiculous notions involving a local's condescending attitude toward tourists.
Especially when it's those same tourists who provide so many employment opportunities.
