NOSTALGIA HAS A WAY OF MAKING US THINK that the past was oh-so-great. In fact, you’ve probably said things were better “back in the day” many times before. But was life really better or are we just wearing rose-colored glasses when we look back? Here are eight myths about the “good old days” that prove they weren’t as great as we remember:
• FOOD WAS ALWAYS ORGANIC AND HEALTHIER. You might think that the past was a time when all food was fresh off the farm and completely pure. Back then, they didn’t have today’s food safety standards and people contracted food-borne illnesses far more often.
• THE ECONOMY WAS MORE STABLE. The economy wasn’t all that simple either. Back then, people did not have the safeguards we do now. We have insurance on bank deposits – they didn’t. They felt the economic bumps a lot harder than we would today.
• CRIME RATES ARE LOWER. Many people believe that the streets were safer and that crime was less of a thing in the good old days. However, crime rates have gone up and down over the years. In some cases, things were just as bad, if not worse.
• EDUCATION WAS BETTER QUALITY. Some people think that education used to be better and everyone had the best learning experiences. Not true! It was hit or miss, depending on where you lived and how much money you had. And let’s not forget the power of the internet. Learning has never been more accessible. You can pick up a new skill from anywhere in the world; that just wasn’t possible back in the day.
• CHILDREN WERE SAFER AND MORE INDEPENDENT. We often hear how kids used to roam free and everything was fine. However, that’s not the whole truth. We didn’t used to talk a lot about the dangers, nor did we recognize them. We’re more clued in now about keeping children safe and have a far greater awareness of the risks.
• COMMUNITIES WERE CLOSER-KNIT. It’s easy to think that everyone knew their neighbors and looked out for each other more in the past. Today we have more ways to connect with people who share our interests.
• PEOPLE WERE HAPPIER. Even though it seems people were happier back in the day, it’s just not entirely true. Every era has its challenges. Yes, modern life is stressful; but we have a lot of perks they didn’t have back then, like entertainment at our fingertips and ways to connect with loved ones across the globe instantly. We also have more control over our lives and careers.
• DISEASES WERE LESS OF A CONCERN. Diseases have always been an issue. Before vaccines and modern treatments, diseases like smallpox and polio were huge problems that created widespread fear and devastated communities. The difference today is that we have the means to prevent and treat many of these diseases.
Other issues such as the environment, work-life balance, and social norms seemed more simple back in the day, but they really weren’t. Life then might not have been as great as we remember …