Every generation has had its cross to bear, and I've been through several. But all things being relative, I find that both David777 and Murrmurr have the better handle on this thread.
For instance, I was born at the height of the Great Depression in 1933. Times were tough for both the haves and have-nots. The world survived, and some folks even have fond memories of those days.
As the 40s approached and WWII was underway, I became very aware of the world around me. Sad and tragic as war is, we pulled together, and I can remember many families still were able to enjoy life.
When the war ended and the post-war brought men home with hopes and dreams for a much enlightened future. It was boom time, with education opening up to one and all, everyone able to work and buy homes and marry. It was the time for the Boomer generation to join us. They were great years, even though another war in Korea interrupted some of our lives. Even I am a Korean War vet.
When the 60s gave us a young president with vision, we were all agog. He was sorely tested with the miscommunications of the Bay of Pigs incident, the building of the Berlin Wall, and then the Cuban Missile crisis. And, Holly, I will add here; it had everything to do with yours and all nations on this globe. Had not JFK stuck to his resolve, we'd have been catapulted into WWIII, make no mistake about that. His brother and his military leaders were pushing him to wipe Cuba off the map. But, having had a front row seat to WWII which nearly cost him his life, he prevented it from happening. We breathed a collective sigh of relief, but, sadly, someone wasn't happy. He was assassinated, and thus really began our loss of innocence. Vietnam came along, and with it, anger and cynicism ensued. We lost faith in our leaders. The media blasted us daily with negatives and haven't let up.
Internal strife during the late 60s throughout the 70s and 80s have continued non-stop into the present day.
Technology has, like all modern advances, been both good and bad. Closing mental institutions was inherently wrong, yet those running them were sometimes worse than the patients. No one seems to have bothered to find a solution to this problem. All manner of mental aberrations has been around for generations, but, we were not made aware of same due to lack of communications. So much more could be said about all of this thread and what we miss or not miss. Each of us faces all our difficulties with the world daily, yet I perceive most have some level of contentment. There are a few here,
I have observed, who do not find joy at all in the past. I suspect they find no joy in the present either.
I, for one, choose not to be bitter over those injustices of the past nor present. Yet will continue to look for solutions to right all wrongs as they come along. And, yes, I do miss the America I so enjoyed of the past, but am happy where I am today as well.
