@cyborgprincess. I've never once seen a societal breakdown, nor do all the things I do see come true. In spite of everything we are going through, in spite of the losses we are experiencing, I have such peace and optimism about the future. We are going to get through this.
@baba made a good point about looking for similar predictions in the same time frame. Every time we have a Read the Future night, I always look for predictions that seem to be in sync with one another. That's how we knew to look for something significant to happen in March and April of this year and as it turns out that's when the pandemic was officially recognized and the economy affected.
I look forward to a simpler, more basic future. I've been feeling nostalgic for the 50s lately. I just wonder if we will enter a period resembling a high tech 50s. My anxieties can kind of carry me away sometimes so thank you for the positive reminders.
@cyborgprincess Can you say what specifically you remember about the fifties that you liked?
It was not the best time for women, people of color, gays, non white Americans, and people with disabilities. Also it saw the rise of paranoia about communism where they were threatening artists and liberals. Medically, women were routinely given general anesthesia to give birth and babies were being pulled out with forceps. Natural health, holistic health, and alternative health were taboo. They were taking out every child's tonsils. It saw the rise of junk food, frozen food, koolaide, fake food. White-dominated America was zenophobic, thought America was the absolute best center of the universe. Diversity would have been a dirty word during the 1950's. Also the food of the fifties was, well, icky -- jello with Cool whip was king, hotdogs in scrambled eggs with ketchup was considered a healthy meal for the family, aspic, Koolaide, white bread and frozen peas. Not a good time for animals either.
Probably you are thinking of some other aspect that you liked?
I know! Rock N Roll was born in the 1950's!
What I liked about growing up in the 50’s:
Playing outside until the street lights came on. Then going in the house and asking if we can stay out later. Riding my bike to the library every Saturday to get books to read. In fact you can ride all over town and not worry about safety. All the neighborhood kids getting together on one street to play, and there were a lot of us. TV wasn’t something you watched during the day, even in bad weather. Bad weather meant game playing, reading and learning to cook. Family get togethers were a big deal and every birthday, religious and holiday event was celebrated with family and neighborhood friends. While the adults stayed inside and talked, the cousins and friends played outside together and had a great time. Building tents using clothes lines and blankets. Hanging your blankets out the window and smelling the fresh air on them when you went to bed at night. The nightly news was a half hour long.
Oh, I don't want a total return to the 50s. I was referring to the simplicity in life, families together more, and the self suffiency that was more common then. The materialism was not quite out of control yet. I would like to take only the positive attributes of the 50s and combine it with the positive attributes of our current era.
@cyborgprincess, I have a confession to make: each morning I've been obsessively watching "Andy of Mayberry" reruns. My husband laughs and remarks "are you watching that again?" That show first aired in 1960, but the feeling you and @Lenor described is the same: simplicity of life, families together, neighbors helping out each other. Although in the back of my mind I know that period was fraught with the downsides that Jeanne described, I feel a certain nostalgia for that simple life. Who knows? As we go through this painful period of transformation, we can create whatever we want our world to be. We have that power. That's a hopeful thought.
I have found myself watching old movies on Disney plus that we happened to get for the next 6 months on cable. I think the old and the familiar helps us deal with the overload of the current upheaval. I recently read an article in the Washington Post that is about why people are rereading old favorite books right now instead of new ones to help deal with the great uncertainty in our daily lives: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/for-a-lot-of-book-lovers-rereading-old-favorites-is-the-only-reading-they-can-manage-at-the-moment/2020/05/01/19c3cd4c-8bbe-11ea-ac8a-fe9b8088e101_story.html
@baba i completely understand, we watched night at the museum last night and this morning because my son loves it! It's been a joy to just snuggle up with him and watch his little eyes take in our the new wonders he discovers every day ?
It sounds like we just want to evolve-- combine the appreciation of people's differences and the understanding of how interconnected we are with all beings and nature, with a return to a more balanced life. Life that is closer to nature, to the earth, and a government that is more accountable to its people.