“Now and Then”

I was recently at a birthday party and observed (judged) many of the things I saw young people wearing. They had nose rings, earrings and tattoos - sometimes called body art. They were also mesmerized by their cell phones ignoring what was going on around them. In addition, it seems this generation is more liberal, and they see government as a way to fulfill their wants and needs. They are usually against the war with Iran and how it effects the economy.

My neighbor and I are seniors (72 and 83), and we have discussed the irresponsibility and lack of morality of youth, and how they are responsible for their own lack of motivation. We remembered how things were “in our day” as though our generation is superior.

The truth, however is that my generation of baby boomers had our own tendencies and ideas that were not popular with our parents. Long hair for men became very popular and there was even a Broadway show called Hair that had nudity, revolutionary ideas and vulgar language. Many of our generation were also against the Vietnam War and sometimes, protests erupted into violence. During that time the sexual revolution was in full swing and ideas about morality were changing.

More specifically, I remember a number of incidences that involved my generation that were anything but Puritanical. Once I was a desk clerk at my uncle’s resort and a young couple registered very late at night. They looked tired but were very polite, so I rented them a room. The next morning, they left without paying for their room. I guess when they registered under the name Smith, I should have been suspicious!

My uncle’s resort was also about a hundred miles from Woodstock and the highway was a huge parking lot. The festival was successful in many ways, but there were also many irresponsible behaviors and a lot of drugs involved as well.

Another time at the resort, we had a fire in one of the rooms. It turned out that a guest was in bed with an employee, and they had placed a towel over the lamp and it caught fire. I saw the note my uncle left for the woman, who would be called a “cougar” today. My uncle crossed out the hotel letter, that read: “I hope you had a honey of a vacation” and wrote “Get Out!”

While our parents had cocktail parties, we had keg parties with a lot of underage drinking. Back then we also had drugs, but nothing like the drugs available today. Marijuana was also very illegal and young people could get into a lot of trouble if they got involved with it.

Back then we even had something called “streaking.” Young people would run across college campuses and even in stadiums with only a pair of sneakers on. Thousands of students would watch as the streakers ran by.

I also had an epiphany of sorts the other day while I was watching a film about the American Indians. I have always had a deep respect for their love of nature and their culture. I even wrote several songs about them. During the film, I made a stunning observation. Indians wore nose rings and earrings and also had body art. The younger generation of today weren’t doing anything new at all. Moreover, I see the beauty of what young people are doing. Imagine that!

Nevertheless, there is one thing that I’m quite sure of about with “now and then.” There have always been individuals who take their ideas seriously. All around there are young people hard at work, if one looks closely enough. I believe the youth of today will not only do well despite economic challenges, but they will also improve our relationship to the natural world.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my ideas about “now and then.” No doubt the reader will also have his/her own observations and experiences that either support or refute my own ideas.

Thanks for reading about my attempt to make a serious but possibly comical look at the different gestations and our perception of them. Have a great day!

(Please remember these are my own ideas, and I’m not attempting to persuade anyone to change theirs.)

Quotes:

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." – Mark Twain

"Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new." –Henry David Thoreau

"The best way to make children good is to make them happy." – Oscar Wilde

​https://www.facebook.com/writerjohnfzurn​

Photos by: creative-christians-HN6uXG7GzTE-unsplash; the-new-york-public-library-A-dbJtZoqhw-unsplash