The Grass Doctor

Is the current generation thinking they are living smart?

In line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment." He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana . In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

Public Comments

1. Well, I do not think that they think they are smart. Please allow me to explain: This is because the current generation and by the name itself means that these people have not been through anything in the past. I would rather say it as misunderstanding between the two generations. One is that the young may not know how the elderly have been through, they could not understand why is it so difficult for the older ones to change their lifestyle. If they were to grow older, they might gain this understanding as by then, there will be this younger generation that makes them feel 'outdated'. It is a continuous cycle. Another is that the old may not follow up the pace the society is progressing. You've written paragraphs of how the life in the past were green, I guess your purpose is to let us (the readers) know how the older people have done so much to the environment in the past and that the young are ignorant of it. Yet, we should not forget that the progress of society are irreversible, considering the other side of it, such progresses do indeed make our lives better in certain ways, though not all, even consumerism which harms the environment greatly could fuel economic growth! Hence, the young are educated from young on how to be environmentally friendly while we carry on progressing which may cause harm to the environment. But we could not blame them too, that is what they were taught from young, that is what the older generation has taught them. All in all, I believe a greater understanding between the two generations is needed and it would have been over generalising to say the current generation thinks they were smart. Though some are.
2. Oh! The good old days! We stayed in a cave & wore animal skins butchered by us etc etc....Look, every next generation thinks the people before them are anachronistic. This is Life & you have to admit it.
3. well life is everchanging. it would be sad to blame previous generation for problems we face today. Issues which we face today must be resolved so that we have better tomorrow. Talking about smarter life, yes I feel we are living smarter, world is become shorter place to live in. there are few problems but those can be taken care of. there were plenty things which were not possible in good old days and those are easily available today. technology has advanced vastly, good old day you have to apply for scooter and wait for 1-2 year to get ascooter, nw it is available on the go. *just an example. there are n no. of such examples. But we should not forget our responsibilt for better tomorrow n make this world better place to live.
4. They probably think they are Back then marriages lasted and you didn't have to worry about collecting back child support either.