this was a better world when. . .

i hear that from some oldsters once in a while, the statement is usually accompanied by a pretty high level of crustiness, crochetiness, and generally a pretty significant sense of good-old-days syndrome. people that know me know that i'm a pretty big fan of the crusty old guy, seeing as a large part of the wisdom i've obtained in life has come from the same. however, i have to say that they're wrong about this one.

i grew up in and inhabit a much different world than these guys did in their youth, there isn't any doubt about that, not in the least. today's memorial day and i'm sitting here, at the age of twenty three, without ever having had to consider a stint, of any length, of military service either involuntary or voluntary. i mean there are times i've thought and sometimes still do about getting commissioned and joining some branch, that usually comes and goes in a matter of moments, however. back quite a few years, it was nearly customary for a young man to have spent at least some amount of time in military service, a scant few had the option of sort of flippantly considering it only to decide "meh, that's not really for me". i'm certain that a large part of the reason why that's not the case anymore, that i can ponder such a thing so fleetingly is because people who are significantly older than me couldn't or didn't.

please don't misunderstand me, this isn't about war, being for it or against it, or being a pacifist or not, a dove or a hawk, whatever. what i'm saying is that the freedom we have to thank those who've served for goes beyond eagles and flags and fireworks and BBQs and ultimately silly stuff like that, it even goes beyond all the stuff we associate with freedom; speech, religion, assembly, guns, sex, the fact that we're able to spend so much time arguing about such stupid stuff is a credit to the courage those crusty old guys showed back when. we fancy ourselves as significantly more sophisticated in contemporary times than we imagine that they were decades ago, and almost certainly we equate that with the idea that we, ourselves, are objectively better than they.

this wasn't a better world when, it's a better world now, because of them. we would all do well to find someone responsible and thank him.

feeling: grateful
thinking of: crusty old guys
music: "heroes of our past" dropkick murphys