Many times you’ll see posts on social media of people sharing what it was like to grow up in the 50s, 60s and 70s. If you were born during this time period you have definitely experienced a huge technology growth. It’s good to grow and improve on old ways and ideas, but sometimes the simple ways are more direct and personal. That could be the difference in what generation you experienced and how you feel about the world today.
Take for instance television. Back when we didn’t use remote controls we had to get up to change one of three channels. As time and technology grew so did the want and need for more! More channels, more convenience, more show variety, more ways to watch a show we may have missed. The want and need for more is human nature. We seem to be missing something if we aren’t looking for better ways.
Most families could only afford one television, so the family learned to watch one show together, or find something else to do for entertainment. Listening to the radio wasn’t new, but what we listened on became smaller and more advanced. Instead of a large console on the floor like furniture, radios became smaller and portable. Some were even stylish. Instead of records and record players a demand for tapes and cds came about.
Who was going to be the first to come out with a new gadget? It seemed many competitors were out there and plenty. This all meant more money and profits. So, the simple life as a child who could buy penny candy became no more. This day and age candy or anything for a penny is unheard of. Some even throw them away treating them as worthless. There was a time though when you saved your pennies for those special trips to the store. We had piggy banks to keep our coins in. We saved for what we wanted. Credit wasn’t used as much. Coins were valued much higher than they are now.
Simple times and simple ways made life, well…simpler. Getting outside more and walking to where we wanted to go. Visiting with, sharing and borrowing items from the neighbors. Sometimes thinking back on grandma’s kitchen while she baked bread or a pie from scratch cannot be replaced with store bought goods. Seeing grandpa building a piece of furniture in his shop with the details he prided himself in can’t be bought from a factory.
Technology might be faster, and easier, but some of the best things that came out of our childhoods are the things that took us longer to do. The things that we created ourselves or the time it took to save for the things we wanted gave us character. We felt very proud of accomplishments, because we really earned them. We knew what it took to work hard and feel proud. Congratulations if you grew up in those times. It was tougher, but worth it!
