“Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end….” goes the song. But this is something slightly different.
I’ve officially reached that time in my life when I long for the good old days, the good old ways, values and behaviour. My recent forays into socializing with younger, more ‘with-it’ people, have made me long for times when everything seemed simpler. Days when you made friends with people just because you liked them and not for how you could use them. Days when you didn’t need to say how much you were earning or talk about the price of your designer shoes. Days when children were allowed to be children. Days when love meant so much more than a quick fling. Days when the little gestures were not taken for granted and you showed genuine gratitude to people who did something for you.
These days it’s all about:
Playing the victim. What ever happened to good old responsibility?
Flaunting your wealth and other stuff. What ever happened to good old simplicity?
Showing off your achievements (real or imagined). What ever happened to good old modesty?
Brazenly lying through your teeth. What ever happened to good old credibility?
Calling yourself a goddess and acting like a diva. What ever happened to good old humility?
Being loud and making people wait. What ever happened to good old civility?
I, me and my. What ever happened to good old charity?
But if we want to we can bring back ‘those days’ — it’s just a matter of choice, isn’t it?
Ever so true on all 7 counts. I also remember the good old days when life was simple. Loved your post.
Suzy recently posted..Going Places – Royal Rajasthan
Loved the beautiful picture Corinne. and I echo your thoughts. Reading your posts made me re-collect my good old days. The good old days were when one did not need a topic to talk with friends.Goods old days were when one could knock at one’s door without a prior telephonic appointment and was sure to be greeted with a smile.
😉 You know, Corinne – I am pretty much living in the good old days and watching, with amusement, all that you listed in the people I meet, people who flit by.
I just love the photo in your post. My favorite art form!
Standing applause from me for this post! Hugs!
Vidya Sury recently posted..7 Powerful Words
Loved it!! So very very true in every way. What happened to accountability and just being respectful of others? We always run across these people every day. My only wish is that I raised my children with some of the values that we were raised with back in the day!!
Could not agree with you my friend! Those were the days…
Debra recently posted..Forgive or Die
Hard hitting and well expressed. The world has become a stage and each one of us is an actor!
Rachna recently posted..A failed life!
Yes, yes, yes. Nodding in agreement.
You have expressed this so beautifully and yet so simply.
What I love about your posts is that they convey thoughts in a very simple way and in very few words.
AlkaGurha recently posted..Those Arms Need Rest
So Beautifully expressed @Corrine . You said it all 🙂
sridevi recently posted..Seven Lessons in Wellness and Healing that Life Taught Me- Day 5
All of them have vanished into obscurity, Corinne! 🙁
C. Suresh recently posted..The sevens of marriage
I hv heard this soo many times from every gen….. maybe I will say tht few yeard down the line too?
corinne ! I went back for few minutes …… in those days and loved being there for a while.. so true of what you have written. I still like to make a choice to be simple, grateful and authentic…. it is satisfying to be that way.. thanks for sharing, loved your post.
G Angela recently posted..HAPPY TEACHER’S DAY !
And the choice, Corinne, is as much mine as is yours. 🙂
Let’s continue with our efforts, however small, tiny and insignificant… I am sure they will make a difference.
So so true on all counts Corrine, wonder what has happened to humility, being honest to oneself and all those good old time trusted values that our grandparents and parents taught us when we were young. Today’s world seems so much like a rat race all the time with people willing to trample over each other and themselves just to get an edge over others. Sad but true…isn’t it?
Jairam Mohan recently posted..Manthara’s envy
Agree with all the points, so true. Sometimes, I wonder if we are even honest with our own selves, if yes, it would probably address quite a few of the points you’ve made
Right on, Corinne! I totally agree! I want all those things back, too. Too bad the world has come to that state where selfishly being out for number one is more important than good old fashioned values of being good to your fellow human being. Let’s start a movement to restore these values! *SHAKES FIST!*
Cathy Graham recently posted..Seven days of laughter
True, those days will never be back , only fond remembrance remain.Time has changed, so are values. Nothing much can be done except accept!
S.R.Ayyangar recently posted..FILMY STORY
You simply answered the questions in the last line, did’nt you? Its all about how we chose the people in our life and shed the extra baggage.
Kajal recently posted..A Riveting Story
Your posts always makes me think…
Yes, things have changed now…all that you asked for in your 7 questions is becoming rare to find…
Its high time to leave things which do not matter much and concentrate on things which can make us better !
UmaS recently posted..Orange…
When all of them have uttered it, then it must be true. This seems to be the trend everywhere, Corinne. And, with the advent of Facebook, this trend gains a stamp and place to show off those seven traits. Even the movies are different these days. Your seven makes me crinkle my brow and let out a sigh. I miss the way my parents lived their lives.
Joy always,
Susan
I was telling someone the other day – When I left India in the late-90s, the country seemed kinder, gentler, quietly confident, civil. When I returned at the end of the next decade, it had become boorish and pompous, reveling in its all pervasive mediocrity.
Where did we lose our innocence and our values…our way? It’s all quite sad. And more so when someone like you so eloquently holds aloft the mirror for all of to see the kind of Dorian Grays we have become.
Rickie recently posted..Seven – Six : Anticipation – A Short Story, Re-told
Corinne – you are not the only one in your nostalgic era.Give me my childhood days and take away my wealth.”Yeh Daulat Bhi Le Lo, Yeh Shaurat Bhi Le Lo, Bhale Cheen Lo Mujhse Se Meri Jawani, Magar Mujhko Lauta Do Bachpan Ka Sawan”
Its good to relish your lost period but one should live the present moments like there is no tomorrow.After all in few years present will become past & all we left with memories.So lets make them as beautiful & meaningful as we can……………………..
Anu Dev recently posted..7 Peek a Boo-Columbia
I life half my life in those good old days.. Just met schoolmates last Sunday after a good 20 years and those were the days 🙂
Latha recently posted..A dream!!!
All 7 points are due to the fact that we have become a materialistic society. Everything we do is for money. Even education is acquired only for money and not for love of the subject. Money is certainly important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all of life.
One can easily bring back ‘those days’ simply by being oneself, not trying to be what others expect one to be. The risk is being labelled a misfit, but who wants to fit anyway? It’s more than enough if one ‘fits in’ with a few few like-minded people.
Proactive Indian recently posted..Honest under all circumstances?
Frankly, I disagree with this theory of ‘good old days’. There never have been any ‘good old days’ as such. They are just memories of personal good days. What’s “good old days” for you was “bad present day” for the previous generation. What’s a “bleak present” for you today is going to be “good old days”‘ for the present generation some years down the line. It is all relative. If we are unable to see that it is because we have not been able to take a step backwards. 🙂
Cheers!
Shail recently posted..Orange
Well said. Things have changed so much, sadly for the worst. Wish certain things stay the way they are and never change.
Shilpa Garg recently posted..7 C’s : Why I Love Write Tribe
I just love that old song ‘Those were the days’. Yes, it all boils down to a matter of choice I’m afraid. We don’t have to fight, go to war, be cruel, be offensive but there is always the one who wants to be in charge, take the lead and tell others what to do. That’s partly why we can’t always get along.
I’d love to have just one week of total serenity from back in the day. How glorious that would be.
Rum Punch Drunk recently posted..The Abusive Church – Part 2
I too like to think about the good old days but now it is extremely difficult to imagine a life without internet, cellphones, a 100 channels and my now car. I guess the concept exists in our memories for a reason. 🙂
Amit recently posted..Four legs good