Recently I've been reading The Octopus by Frank Norris, which is set in Baja, California around 1890 A.D.
*Spoiler Alert!*
It chronicles the story of three men who live in a farming community at a time when the railroad is still being built. The major conflict of the story is between the farmers and the railroad.
One of the main characters is a poet who dreams of the West. He yearns for a time in the past, which is not his current reality. A time when the land was vast and alive in all of its splendor, a time where men did there work with little strife and lived decent lives. He wants to write something similar to a Homeric epic that chronicles life in the West, which can then be passed on to future generations, but cannot bring himself to write about his experience. Instead he pines for the days that came before him, repeatedly saying that he was born too late.
This week I also came across a song performed by Alan Jackson called Born Too Late. Although it was written in the 1990's, it talks about how modern life is whirling by with the advancement of technology. Comparing modern pollution to older wide open spaces, it asks "we keep running faster, but are we losing the race?"
Is this old fashioned thinking? Are we wrong to think with such a modern perspective? Do we get to choose how we approach this matter, or is it dictated by the year of our birth?
Part of me is really attracted to this way of thinking. I enjoy the simple pleasures of being outdoors and breathing in natural beauty. However, It's arguable as to whether I could ever make a living without the internet. The internet is how we apply for the majority of jobs and how we share all kinds of ideas.
Modern advances have both pros and cons. For example, people live longer lives due to widely available medicines. However, those same medicines that have brought so much healing have caused just as many negative side effects.
Genetically Modified foods have enabled more food to be created, but have also caused an onset of food allergies and health issues.
Modern machines have saved time and money, but they have also created a culture where instant gratification is expected.
The internet has served to spread many brilliant ideas, but it is also used to steal private information and many people are hurt emotionally and financially because of it.
Many people have spoken about the "good old days." Is the past really better than the present and future?
I think everyone will agree that we can't change the past, but our current actions will impact the future. This is how I understand time to work.
In a time where everything is changing quickly, I can see how clinging to a past reality can be comforting. It is familiar and comfortable, full of memories. For this reason, I don't think this mentality is old fashioned. I think it is an idea that will continue to live in the hearts of people, some more than others, as long as past time exists. It's a timeless idea, humanly speaking and is neither an ancient nor modern concept.
This hypothesis can be supported by the fact that The Octopus was published in 1901 and Born Too Late was written in the 1990's. There's nearly one hundred years between times of writing, and yet each offers the same sentiment.
It seems to me that no matter what time and culture people have lived in, there has always been some kind of adversity or strife. To my knowledge, there has been no such thing as a perfect society or perfectly peaceful time in history. People have always struggled with one thing or another, whether external or internal, to one degree or another. That means that those "good old days" weren't all that good. They were full of problems that were taken care of and happened alongside many good memories.
Therefore, it doesn't matter when we were born. Humans will always have "good old days" behind them and change ahead of them.
Having said all this, I think a better perspective would be to examine our idea of the present. While I think it's perfectly okay to reminisce, it's another thing to be so caught up in the past that living the present is affected. Ask what you recall so fondly and see if you can incorporate similar elements into daily life.
Do you miss wide open spaces? Go camping or go for walks. Do you miss a slower life? Perhaps you should move to the suburbs or a smaller town. Or perhaps it's not location, but activities. Do you have too much on your to do list? Say no to some good things to make room for better things. Is it all mental? Choose what you allow yourself to think about. Easier said than done, I know.
Create a fulfilling and meaningful life for yourself today. Be present. Take joy in the little things. Be intentional with your time and rejoice in each moment. You may not get to choose your circumstances, but you can choose your attitude.
Remember, these days will be the "good old days" soon enough.
