thoughts on the news of the day: the good ole days

hmmm…..

            Simulacra …. It’s a word you can wrap your tongue around.  Simulacra … not exactly Similac, that word that names the nasty formula babies are fed.  Simulacra is not exactly Lycra.  That’s the stuff that makes us well…. less fluffy.

            Simulacrum, the word, was first used in the 16^th century. It meant likeness or representation – like the likeness of a god in statuary or other medium.  Philosophically it has come to mean a distortion to intentionally make a copy appear correct to viewers.  So, the idea from there is that in remembering “the good old days” we distort how they really were.  We perform simulacra. We do this a lot, especially as we get older. 

            We long for something that probably is more legend or myth.  We have this idea that people used to sit on their front porches every evening; when in reality, most folks were still doing dishes or folding laundry or taking their evening bath so they could get up at the crack of dawn the next day, bone tired, to go to the work they did to make a living for their family. 

            We do that with technology.  We long for the good old days when families used to gather around the dinner table and have conversation together.  Really?  Is that what really happened? Or was it more like adults sparing in debate over their close minded opinions and children being “seen but not heard.”

            OK, so I know I am being a little harsh here.  There are many good things to remember about days gone by. And there are things we wish we had now that we don’t.  But next time you say “I remember when,” think about it.  Is it the way it really was, or is it the way you wish it always was; the way you wish it is now …

            hmmm…..