Fall is beautiful. The temperature is still warm, but with hints of crisp air. The hooded sweatshirts make their return down from the shelf in my closet. The leaves on trees change from green into a multitude of gorgeous colors. The orchards begin selling freshly-pressed apple cider. The bleachers in once-empty stadiums begin filling up with spectators, as football makes its triumphant return. Although I enjoy parts of every season, fall is the one I look forward to the most.
I decided to go for a walk on this glorious afternoon. My favorite place to walk is the Sweetser Switch Trail, but this time, I decided to visit Playacres Park in Fairmount. I walked through the park and ventured over to Vine Street. I looked through the fence at the increasingly dilapidating Fairmount High School. As I gazed up at the once stately three-story brick building, I began wondering what it used to look like inside. I tried to picture teens (namely James Dean) standing at their lockers, ascending the stairways, and sitting in classrooms.
I walked back to the park and stopped at one of the baseball diamonds. I stood at the fence and began reminiscing over the many games I played on that field some 17-18 years ago. As I processed my nostalgic thoughts, I realized how truly different the world has become in just those 17-18 years. Innocence and naivety have almost become a thing of the past. I remember classic cartoons on Saturday morning. I remember wholesome, hilarious TV shows without sexual innuendos. I remember eating hot dogs, grilled cheese, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I remember playing baseball in the backyard with Dad. I remember tree houses and sandboxes. I remember playing Boxcar Children and spy games with my cousins. It was truly a time of simplicity and innocence.
I wondered to myself, "What kind of world are my children inherit some day?" That might seem a bit strange, considering I'm a single, 24-year old guy, but then again, I'm a bit strange. :) I like reminiscing over the past - even the eras that I never was alive to experience. I enjoy looking through my mom's old yearbooks and trying to imagine what it would've been like to experience Madison-Grant High School, my alma mater, in the 1970s. I guess I did get a taste of it, as many of the teachers I had at M-G were teachers my mom had, as well. But it seems like the 60s-70s era had cool music, cool cars, and an overall cool culture. The past truly intrigues me on so many levels.
I've heard many times that "you can't live in the past," and I know that's true. As grateful as I am for things like computers, high-speed Internet, satellite TV, cell phones, and iPods, I can't help but wonder if today's culture could learn a lot from previous cultures. For instance, rather than sending text messages back and forth, what if we actually CALLED the person to whom we were texting? Or better yet, what if we actually hung out in person and spent face-to-face time with people? Maybe it's just because I'm a communication guy, but I feel like interpersonal communication was more meaningful back then. It wasn't as impersonal and cyber-based as it is now. You could make a case that people communicate all the time now, more than ever before - but with the increase in quantity, has there been a decrease in quality?
The world is a very different place in 2009, that's for sure. I know we can't live in the past, and I'm not suggesting that we try. But I think that today's American culture could greatly benefit from slowing down and appreciating/re-adopting some of the simpler, more meaningful things of generations past - with innocence and interpersonal communication being two of the top items on the list.
Just some food for thought on this fall day.
