Those Good Old days

I would like to start this blog with a very good forward which a dear old student of mine, Mahalakshmi , who is now teaching in the history department in the Jawahar lal Nehru University , has passed on to me. Though based in a western context many of the things that this forward is talking about are real. The times that I am talking about was really an earlier time. This was a period , to quote this forward, was much before, television' penicillin' polio shots' frozen foods' Xerox' contact lenses' Frisbees and' the pill. There w ere no:' credit cards' laser beams or' ball-point pens. Humans had not invented:' air conditioners' dishwashers' clothes dryers' and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air . Man had put his first step on the moon . People got married first, . . And then lived together.Every family had a father and a mother.Until we were 25, we called every man older than us, "Sir" or "Uncle"."We were before gay-rights, computer- dating, dual careers, daycarecenters, and group therapy.Our lives were governed by good judgment, and common sense.We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and tostand up and take responsibility for our actions.Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was abigger privilege.We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when theevening breeze started.Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings andweekends-not purchasing condominiums.We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters,yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speecheson our radios.And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening toTommy Dorsey.If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junkThe term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and10 cents.Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi wereall a nickel.And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel onenough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . . . But who could afford one?Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.In my day:' "grass" was mowed,' "coke" was a cold drink,' "pot" was something your mother cooked in and' "rock music" was your grandmother' s lullaby.' "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,' " chip" meant a piece of wood,' "hardware" was found in a hardware store and' "software" wasn't even a word.And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady neededa husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused"and say there is a generation gap... And how old do you think I am now ?