‘The good old days’… or were they?

“The good ol’ days…” It’s the iconic nostalgic statement that nearly everyone has heard when someone is lamenting over the “current state of affairs.” We might have even said these words ourselves. It’s understandable, given the inundation of what the media portrays daily. There are many who glorify what life must have been like before industry and capitalism “took over” and dream of going back to the “simple life” of our ancestors, living how they lived.

But was it really better back then? Author and historian Otto L. Bettmann points out in his book, “The Good Old Days—They Were Terrible!” that the answer across the board is “No!” Covering a wide swath of matters, such as air, traffic, housing, rural life, work, crime, food and drink, health, education, travel, and leisure, one learns very quickly that our recent ancestors had it pretty rough, which is an understatement!

People talk a lot today about income inequality, but it was far worse a century ago! Or imagine fearing going to the hospital because most who went in never came out! Or having countless police officers selected not for their integrity but due solely to their politics. Or living in housing with a large family with no windows, no water, and not even a bathroom or an outhouse. Imagine being injured at work, no longer able to work, no labor union to support you, and no way you would ever be able to win in court (nor even having the money to sue with)! The sheer volume of atrocities like this and more that the vast majority of people had to endure humbled us as we leafed through these revealing pages.

So, despite all the failings that our modern world has, we truly are living in the “best of times!”

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Ed and Cynthia Justus are the owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe.