Every so often the thought strikes me that I’m not as young as I used to be. This is especially true as my birthday approaches each year, which it is rapidly doing, AGAIN! Yeah, I’m getting older. I know it’s true, I even accept it as being inevitable. (After all, the only thing worse than getting older is the alternative [Think about it, don’t do it!]).
This phenomenon could, I suppose, be the result of the fact that our society seems obsessed with the notion that youth is the most important thing there is and must be preserved at all cost. Objective reality requires (say it VERY quietly) admitting that none of us is actually quite the specimen of human perfection that we all wished to believe we were when we were about twenty.
The fact is, of course, that few, if any, of us actually WERE all that “perfect” when we were that age, but there are LOTS of businesses which would like to convince us that we are supposed to THINK that we were, so that they can sell us something which will “restore us to the level of gloriousness which we used to have and which we, OBVIOUSLY, wish to regain.” It only makes sense that a lot of this comes at us through various forms of media. That’s what media does: it captures eyeballs to sell us stuff which is going to “improve our lives.” Case in point from Non Sequitur.
This phenomenon could, I suppose, be the result of the fact that our society seems obsessed with the notion that youth is the most important thing there is and must be preserved at all cost. Objective reality requires (say it VERY quietly) admitting that none of us is actually quite the specimen of human perfection that we all wished to believe we were when we were about twenty.
The fact is, of course, that few, if any, of us actually WERE all that “perfect” when we were that age, but there are LOTS of businesses which would like to convince us that we are supposed to THINK that we were, so that they can sell us something which will “restore us to the level of gloriousness which we used to have and which we, OBVIOUSLY, wish to regain.” It only makes sense that a lot of this comes at us through various forms of media. That’s what media does: it captures eyeballs to sell us stuff which is going to “improve our lives.” Case in point from Non Sequitur.
See what I mean? We aren’t supposed to admit to our age in spite of the fact that millions of years of evolution and thousands of years of human history all took place long before the Universe ever considered thinking about US. (I beg the pardon of any religious fanatics who want to quibble about my timeline, but it’s mine and I’m going to stick to it!) The fact is, that while I don’t exactly revel in the fact that I’m not as young as I was, I’m certainly not ashamed of it.
In my own small way, I’ve experienced (and still remember) a good many historically significant events. Some of these would include such things as: watching (on TV) when the jet plane landed at the airport in New York carrying the film (yes, FILM) of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and then watching that film on Black and White television as soon as they got the film to the broadcast studio; watching live pictures of people actually walking on the Moon in (more or less) “real time;” watching the “Police Riot” at the 1968 Democratic Convention live from Chicago; seeing “almost live” coverage of the assassination of President Kennedy (THAT was quite a weekend!), AND his brother Bobby, AND Dr. King, with all the complications and turmoil those events caused; witnessing (on TV) the war in Vietnam essentially in my living room every night (a really weird experience, looking back on it); the Space shuttle disasters; the 1963 March on Washington; the Selma civil rights march; the Kent State “incident”; the fall of the “Twin Towers;” etc., etc.
Unfortunately, I have also lived long enough to experience the (?) historic moment when a former President stated that the Presidential Medal of Freedom which he awarded to someone (maybe MORE than just someONE? because they gave him money) was a better award than the Congressional Medal of Honor (the highest military honor) because the recipient of the PMF didn’t have to really DO anything except give HIM a lot of money to get it, whereas winners of the Medal of Honor often had been actually injured, or killed, for them to get that honor. As a citizen who knows (or knew) people who fought (some died) in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and on and on, I found that sort of statement insulting to the U.S. military and denigrating to the others who had received the PMF, for actual service to the country and to humanity. I can think of no greater insult to the nation than to (effectively) sell what is supposed to be a major national award to the highest bidder, but I suppose we should expect such from someone who obviously considers himself too good to actually DO service for his country, as opposed to having the country serve him!
All things considered, a good many of the events I can list were definitely NOT enjoyable, but they ARE legitimate episodes from our common American history of the last 70, or so, years. There were many happier moments, too, of course, but I do feel I have been privileged to have actually experienced, in a fashion, a number of important events in our collective, contemporary history.
Still, it does seem, as Earl Pickles points out, that “the days are going by a bit faster now than they used to….”
In my own small way, I’ve experienced (and still remember) a good many historically significant events. Some of these would include such things as: watching (on TV) when the jet plane landed at the airport in New York carrying the film (yes, FILM) of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and then watching that film on Black and White television as soon as they got the film to the broadcast studio; watching live pictures of people actually walking on the Moon in (more or less) “real time;” watching the “Police Riot” at the 1968 Democratic Convention live from Chicago; seeing “almost live” coverage of the assassination of President Kennedy (THAT was quite a weekend!), AND his brother Bobby, AND Dr. King, with all the complications and turmoil those events caused; witnessing (on TV) the war in Vietnam essentially in my living room every night (a really weird experience, looking back on it); the Space shuttle disasters; the 1963 March on Washington; the Selma civil rights march; the Kent State “incident”; the fall of the “Twin Towers;” etc., etc.
Unfortunately, I have also lived long enough to experience the (?) historic moment when a former President stated that the Presidential Medal of Freedom which he awarded to someone (maybe MORE than just someONE? because they gave him money) was a better award than the Congressional Medal of Honor (the highest military honor) because the recipient of the PMF didn’t have to really DO anything except give HIM a lot of money to get it, whereas winners of the Medal of Honor often had been actually injured, or killed, for them to get that honor. As a citizen who knows (or knew) people who fought (some died) in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and on and on, I found that sort of statement insulting to the U.S. military and denigrating to the others who had received the PMF, for actual service to the country and to humanity. I can think of no greater insult to the nation than to (effectively) sell what is supposed to be a major national award to the highest bidder, but I suppose we should expect such from someone who obviously considers himself too good to actually DO service for his country, as opposed to having the country serve him!
All things considered, a good many of the events I can list were definitely NOT enjoyable, but they ARE legitimate episodes from our common American history of the last 70, or so, years. There were many happier moments, too, of course, but I do feel I have been privileged to have actually experienced, in a fashion, a number of important events in our collective, contemporary history.
Still, it does seem, as Earl Pickles points out, that “the days are going by a bit faster now than they used to….”
And the strangest thing is that I believe that the Pickles just may have come up with an adequate explanation of of this phenomenon, as their idea DOES seem reasonable AND even makes a certain amount of sense.
Then, of course, along comes Frank and Ernest, who pose an entirely different, but equally stimulating, notion relating to the whole question of “aging.”
I suspect the answer to the problem posed above MIGHT be simpler than most people think, but this could, quite easily, become one of those issues about which people spend inordinate amounts of time coming up with “solutions” which may not, in fact, have much to do with much of anything, but can provide for hours of conversation and discussion. (Or, is that sort of thing only possible among us “older” lawyers, and/or academics?) I’m really not sure; and, I don’t think I will pursue THAT particular line of thought any further.
It is quite true, however, that knowing something of history can be helpful towards predicting the future, and even determining what we want it to be, as Thatababy suggested not too long ago…
It is quite true, however, that knowing something of history can be helpful towards predicting the future, and even determining what we want it to be, as Thatababy suggested not too long ago…
You see, like Lucas, I remember those old science fiction serials. In fact, I would bet that he (who was born the same year I was) watched them on “Saturday Morning Kid’s TV” just like I did! And, I suspect, like me, he knew, even then, that they were a bit dated and unrealistic, but they were fun, exciting, “swash-buckling” adventures which weren’t quite the “long ago and far away” adventures of the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen fairy/folk tales, nor were they the “wild west” adventure sort of “entertainment.”
Those shows, like the ones Lucas and and other have made, took notions from at least quasi-legitimate science and combined them with “futuristic” Romance and fashioned them into “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” and a whole bunch of others which were built on the American ideals of “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.”
It IS also true, of course, that some of the ideas in those old movies and shows were a bit far-fetched, as this Non Sequitur suggests…
Those shows, like the ones Lucas and and other have made, took notions from at least quasi-legitimate science and combined them with “futuristic” Romance and fashioned them into “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” and a whole bunch of others which were built on the American ideals of “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.”
It IS also true, of course, that some of the ideas in those old movies and shows were a bit far-fetched, as this Non Sequitur suggests…
No, we probably need to be smart enough not to get trapped into thinking that ALL of the wild ideas of those science fiction types might actually come true. After all, WE would never do anything scientific which might have undesirable consequences or might go wrong, would we?
But, perhaps we “might should” pay attention to creatures who just might be wiser than we are, like Garfield? No, he’s just a cat, and a CARTOON ONE at that, what could HE know?
But, perhaps we “might should” pay attention to creatures who just might be wiser than we are, like Garfield? No, he’s just a cat, and a CARTOON ONE at that, what could HE know?
While I admit to being interested in what folks are calling the “AI Revolution” MIGHT be able to do FOR us, I do have at least SOME reservations as to what it also might do TO us. But, only time will tell and the future will be what it will be. An awful lot of highly respected people were quite afraid that the “atomic bomb” just might lead to annihilation of the human race, but that hasn’t happened, yet. What AI is going to do FOR, or TO, us is yet to be determined. I suspect there will be some effect, I hope it’s a good one, but I’m not prepared to make too many predictions.
On the other hand, we should probably all be aware of the fact that someday, in the probably not terribly distant future, somebody (perhaps one of us) is going to have “one of those moments,” rather like Cosmo Fishhawk, the “Perfessor” in Shoe, had recently and is going to think that Cosmo might be right, and a good stiff drink” could, in fact, be called for.
On the other hand, we should probably all be aware of the fact that someday, in the probably not terribly distant future, somebody (perhaps one of us) is going to have “one of those moments,” rather like Cosmo Fishhawk, the “Perfessor” in Shoe, had recently and is going to think that Cosmo might be right, and a good stiff drink” could, in fact, be called for.
It IS just possible that he could be on to something, says the “about to be older” guy. Much as I’d like to think the best is yet to come, I COULD be wrong. Given the current state of the world, I hope I’m not.
Oh, well, I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to “Rave on!” about something else. (Did you get that reference? I’d love to know!) See you then.
🖖🏼 LLAP,
Dr. B
Oh, well, I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to “Rave on!” about something else. (Did you get that reference? I’d love to know!) See you then.
🖖🏼 LLAP,
Dr. B
P.S. I ran across this Luann strip while I was drafting this post, so I decided to add it as a postscript. I’m not sure if I’m impressed that I recognized all of the items, or depressed because I’m old enough to have done so…. How’d YOU do? RSB
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