I guess I wasn't being clear about SD. I wasn't suggesting that's how it was everywhere. I was trying to point out that being away from everything in a pretty isolated part of the world, not being in constant contact with a lot of other people is something that I think many young people miss out on. It's like when the world quiets down, you see it differently.
You mentioned working the same job for 20 years. There is comfort in knowing that a job could be a long-term thing. You could plan ahead, buy a house with a loan from a local bank. Those old banks were far more willing to work with people, but they were also more choosy about who they lent to. As far as being disaffected with life, I do think there is value in struggling. If you have to work hard to get something, you tend to feel good about your accomplishments. If you built your own house from start to finish with your own two hands, you have much more than a house. You gain a sense of pride for having worked hard to get it, and pride in knowing that you're capable of doing something like that. IMO, when things are given to you, you have less appreciation than if you had to struggle to get those things. I see that as something that adds value and purpose to life. Yet, I can't get past the thought that this is a consumer culture and that's become the purpose of our lives. For me, it's not about going camping, it's about stepping away and experiencing the world without all the obsessions of a society that has lost any real sense of purpose beyond making and spending money.
I agree putting sweat and blood into something makes it more valuable to you. Yeah that's what camping is about I just call it camping is about I just call camping. It's the same thing though.
Do you leave your phone at home? Just curious. I don't think my kids or their kids could go 15 minutes without one.
No but I don't have it with me on the camping trip. That's mostly because when I go camping it's outside of the useful area. that being said that I carry it with me because if something happens to my vehicle I can call a tow truck rather than hitchhiking. Years ago pay phones were available and all you had to do was walk to the nearest gas station.
Good for you. I'd probably keep one in the car if I was camping. I had two problems with the old pay phones--wrong change and forgotten numbers.
I don't know why people would take their phones with them out into the wilderness other than to take pictures. Some of the younger people that go camping with me bring their phones and have to have them
I am a baby boomer and I believe my Generation started the break down of all the tenets of common decency. The overwhelming greed of babyboomers caused the american dream to become wishful thinking. Greed drove them to take China from a country with starving people to our greatest threat, economically and soon militarily. They took america's prosperity and moved it to china and other countries. BabyBoomers also set the original standard of indoctrination by public education, millenials are the first full generation that is the product of a flat out liberal indoctrination that has replaced public education, the next generation will be worse. Millienials lack drive, they are listless, they are self centered, they are demanding and they have been droned that everything they want should be free. They should get free Healthcare, Free College, and force trillions of spending on climate and anything else they want. Typical spoiled I want what I want and I want it right now liberals. I walked into a specialist office yesterday and was handed a clipboard with 9 pages that had to be filled out, I said to myself what if I never learned to write cursive in school, how would I fill these out. Isnt it amazing they dont have time to teach cursive and they graduate students that all pee in the same bathroom and cant figure out which of the several "newly created" different genders they are, and cant write a paragraph and need pictures instead of numbers on cash registers. Its going to get worse and it wont get better until it completely crashs, lucky for me ill be gone, unlucky for my grandkids and great grandkids.
I worked for a bar when younger, they went bk, showed up for work one day and all closed up, never got my last paycheck, never even a hint that were going bk
Foreign outsourcing and foreign imports are harming society, jobs are temporary for the majority of people now, so the loyalty is not there, employers do not respect employees the way they once did and visa versa and of course housing costs have gotten ridiculous
I would agree with you if it werent that much of this supposed new reality is created and not reality at all. What blurs your statement is the new progressive lefts creations, theres 100 genders as reported by the BBC, they are now pushing that theres more than 2 genders. They allowed men in womens bathrooms and boys in girls bathrooms in schools so .04% of the population supposedly wont feel uncomfortable, so they make millions of women uncomfortable doing their most personal actions along side males. They are willing to destroy female sports for a handful of males who "think" they are females. They dont have time to teach kids cursive, some schools dont have phys ed class some only have it 2 days a week to make more time to each that being gay is the new norm and the world is going to end in 15 yrs unless we spend trillions on climate change. Indoctrination not education. I have grandkids and great grandkids. I I could go on but I know you follow my thinking, I would never be a Trumper never thought I could be, until I was confronted with the alternatives. I was a moderate democrat most of my adult life, not any longer. Unfortunately for americans we always get 2 choices. Each choice represents an agenda a set of ideals, its not about the one person. I choose Captialism over socialism, I choose real women over those that say they are, I choose to end illegal immigration and then use the 100s of billions to end American Citizen homelessness. Its about overall values and goals its not just about Trump or Warren or Bernies its goes much deeper.
That has happened to me three times. And if you're a baby boomer it's happened to me three times in a very short career compared to yours
it seems like they're outsourcing jobs to foreign countries because the American worker is too expensive. Things like the Auto industry come to mind. The american-made product is not as good as products from other countries. and then a lot of the American made product is just relabeled foreign product. Policies are doing this labor unions are doing this the American consumer is doing this. This is also because of policy the policies that led up to the real estate bubble popping in 2008 it will happen with auto loans soon
Do you still carry maps in your car? I still carry one map of my state, but I never use it. Heck, I remember when I used to spend the night before a trip to a location I had never been before studying maps and planning the best root. One passenger was designated the navigator who sat in the shotgun seat and warned of impending turns. And I walked 5 miles to school through the snow, uphill, both ways. These whippersnappers have it too easy!
It's good to have the GPS and all, but I was pushing the idea that people are losing the ability to take care of themselves. I'm not a survivalist, but there are basic skills that are helpful. Technology is good, and no doubt the cell phone is just the latest tool in our human tool kit. But batteries limit things.
I've certainly lost that ability. I am a highly educated white collar job type. After retiring I moved to a neighborhood which has mostly blue collar types. These people are deplorables but they know things like how to fix small engines and do plumbing and such. They are also very kind and helpful. Urban liberals and rural conservatives are really different countries and I prefer the rural conservatives.
I'm right there with you on that. One of my neighbors seems to be some kind of relation to Hephastus. He has makes body panels for old cars out of sheets of steel. He cuts, folds, rounds, and welds them into perfection with hand tools. After that, he paints them so well you'd think it was a brand new vehicle. I've never seen anything like it. He's pretty rough around the edges personality-wise, but he's always willing to help others. I walk my dogs around the area every day, and most of my neighbors are simple working class people who are quite friendly. Some keep me stocked with garden vegetables in the summer and always stop and chat if they're passing by. Last year I got sick for a while and wasn't able to walk. A couple of them came to the house to make sure I was ok because they hadn't seen me walking. I love these people (even though they're staunchly and loudly Trumpsters ).