Times have indeed changed. I have to admit, it made me feel old to reflect on it. I was going to write an overly long post, but...
No.
There is an essence of life that just seems barren when it comes to that now. I haven’t seen people congregate after work for decades now. People just cut it off and go home. Sure. Some of it is good. But it seems...dull with respect to work, and it isn’t just that I have gotten older. I see this in young people...they just leave, and that is that.
It seems that people are so incredibly uptight.
I can’t explain it, but somehow it feels related to this nanny-state aspect of society that thinks everyone has to be wrapped in bubble wrap by the state lest they hurt themselves or others. Someone might say something inappropriate or bad. Or act badly. Or get drunk. Or, God forbid, light a cigarette.
People have no privacy. It’s the comms.
Trust in America is crap.
I was a dishwasher and we played nerf-ball on saturday night in the PL of the western steer. good times
Had a conversation on this topic with a long-term coworker just yesterday. He and I are both pushing 60.
He was reminiscing about the comraderie and bonhomie he enjoyed with his coworkers in the 1970s. After the factory whistle blew, he and his buddies would sit right down on the factory floor and open a keg.
What he fails to appreciate is that:
1) He and those coworkers are no longer in their teens. They are no longer on the look-out for hook-ups, no longer seeking a "place in life," no longer still enjoying the first rush of young adulthood (freedom, money, but no responsibilities like kids and mortgages). Instead, they have found their "places in life." They are no longer boarding in some crowded dorm, squalid bachelor flat, or living in Mama's basement. They have had decades to set themselves up in comfortable, nicely decorated, well-furnished homes - with a wife, children, and maybe even grandchildren. Thus, they have better things to do than to "hang out" with their drinking buddies.
2. They are older. When you are in your late teens / early 20s, your personality is still only half-formed. Nothing is completely "baked in." The personality differences between individuals is thus less noticeable. And youths are so callow, they are less judgemental about their peers. "Wow, Fred's girlfriend just got an abortion. I guess I'm cool with that." After after reaching true adulthood and acquiring more maturity can one properly reflect upon such things - and recognize moral faults.
3. Technology (computers, the Internet, DVDs, Netflix, cell phones, etc.). Sitting on a dusty factory floor throwing back some "brews" with some random strangers one just happens to work with simply doesn't compare with sharing one's thoughts with the select few like-minded individuals one has found amongst the millions in the Internet. If such things hadn't been invented, most people would probably still be spending their evenings in sewing circles, Bible study groups, bowling teams, etc.
Regards,
I’ve noticed that in our neighborhood...people stay in their homes ...even in summer. We have a young couple with 2 young kids next door..we love their delightful screams.