Lately I’ve been having a few nostalgic moments. It seems
that the older I get, the more of those moments I have.
Maybe that’s because I have more memories to choose from?
Maybe it’s because I’m not too thrilled by a few recent
events. Who knows why they occur more often as I grow
older? I just know I remember when things were different
than they are today, and I’m betting I’m not alone.
Let’s see if you’re old enough to remember some of the things
I remember. I think some things were better then; do you?
Remember when:- Good was good, and bad was bad; and it was actually
desirable to be good?
-
Homes were built from resources grown in our own country?
-
It was OK to manage wildlife for the greater good of
the whole species and the welfare of the herd was top priority?
This animal rights stuff and worrying about the feelings of an
individual deer or prairie dog wasn’t common or acceptable then. -
People caught fish on flies with names like Professor,
Coachman and Gray Hackle Peacock? The flies still catch fish;
but they somehow faded out of the picture over time. -
Hamburgers cost ten cents, gasoline cost a quarter
a gallon, and a brand new Volkswagen car cost less than $2000?
Of course, that was before Ralph Nader and class action law suits. -
Coke was sold in bottles, cost a nickel, and was retrieved
from a cooler that looked like a red freezer with a clear lid?
It seemed to taste better in glass bottles than it does from
an aluminum can or plastic bottle. -
You could leave your fly rod on a picnic table while
you went to the restroom, and actually find it there when
you got back? -
The words “Made in the USA” meant more than just
the final assembly was done here? -
Our heroes and role models were soldiers, policemen,
firemen, the Lone Ranger and Superman; not some guy who can
throw a ball or shoot baskets? They didn’t make a lot of
money, they usually used clean language in public, and they
actually cared that someone was looking up to them as an
example of a wholesome lifestyle. -
Federal judges realized that the words “One nation
under God” and “In God we trust” were written to acknowledge
a power greater than human government or the individual man;
not to endorse any particular religion? -
A handshake was a contract that was honored?
-
You pulled into a gas station or drive in food establishment,
and someone came to your car to wait on you? -
Leather and fur garments were not only acceptable;
they were fashionable? -
Eating meat, including wild game and fish was acceptable
and didn’t raise any questions about ethics; but extra-marital
sexual encounters by public officials weren’t acceptable and
did raise questions about ethics? -
If you gave someone your word, you were actually
expected to honor it? -
The whole family sat down to dinner together and
actually talked to each other about the day’s events? -
It was acceptable for groups like the Boy Scouts to
have ethical and moral standards, even if you didn’t agree
with all of them? -
The special interest group that gathered the most
local donations was the Boys Club car wash at the local
grocery store? The focus was healthy youth; not special
rights groups. -
It was OK to hold the door for ladies, older people
and anyone who looked like they could use a hand? When did
good manners go out of style?Do you remember any of these? We will never see some of
them again in our lifetimes. With a little luck, and maybe
a collective change of heart, we might recover a few of
the more important ones. At least I can hope and pray
for that to happen. Nobody has banned that, yet.
~ AC
Originally published August 12, 2002 on Fly Anglers Online by Al Campbell.