November 29, 2019 - I realize that I am now an old feller and things are much more complicated today than when I was a young man. Things change rapidly and old things pass away in the middle of the night. I have noticed a number of things that have changed hardly without notice.
The following are few of the things that I have noticed:
Have you noticed that when you are watching television and decide to do a little channel surfing to see what else might be on, the new channel is right in the middle of a series of commercials? It happens almost without fail. So, you have a choice of either watching through all the commercials to find out what program is playing, or go back to the one you were watching. Are the new television sets now programmed to do that?
Have you noticed the television ads about new drugs for various ailments? They universally have the disclaimer, “do not take this drug if you are allergic to any of its ingredients.” Question… how does one know if he/she is allergic without taking the drug? Perhaps the statement is a CYA cover in the event someone is severely allergic to the drug and sues the maker. The manufacturer can then fall back on their statement saying, “We told you not to take it if you were allergic to it.” Case then closed.
Have you noticed that you never see white walled tires on automobiles any longer? Well, I have. I think a set of white walled tires on a car just adds to its beauty. But, I look around at the new cars at the dealers and there just aren’t any with white walled tires. What has happened to them? Natural rubber is white, and the makers have to add something to turn the rubber black, so why not just let it stay in its natural color?
Have you noticed that the four-door sedan is slowly disappearing from the automobile scene? Check it out. You will find that most of the new cars sold to families are SUVs. It seems the SUV is slowly replacing the sedan and the convertibles. Is that a good or bad thing, or just a “who cares?”
Have you noticed that no body “dies” any more? In the modern vernacular, the person “passed.” It seems the word “dies or died” is rapidly being replaced with the softer word “passed.” I am not sure why this is happening, so perhaps you, the reader, will have an explanation.
Have you noticed that no one knows how to give directions any more? We men are accused of not wanting to stop and ask for directions when we get lost. The reason is that we do not think we are lost. The last time my wife talked me into stopping for directions at a convenience store, the owner had just moved there from some foreign country and did not know where he was himself. I have learned one sure thing… if a person is giving you directions and he says to go north, and his hand points south, then you go south.
Have you noticed how men tend to spit a lot and women never spit? Ignoring the fellow who is chewing tobacco and has a spit cup, just notice how often men spit for no apparent reason. Watch a baseball game and you will see what I am referring to.
Have you noticed that there are no longer service stations that have free air for your tires? When I was a teenager driving, every station, large or small, had an air compressor with free air. Now days, you seldom find a station with an air compressor. If you do, the air is not free. At least the air we breathe is free, for now.
Have you noticed that preachers of the Gospel rarely wear a suit and a tie while preaching? Back in my day any respectable pastor wore a suit and a tie any time he stepped behind the pulpit. My father-in-law would not have been caught dead clothed otherwise. What has changed? I think that it is an effort to make those who dress down for church feel more comfortable since the pastor has “dressed down.” As a youngster, I heard my parents talk about our “Sunday best clothes.” This meant that we always saved our best clothes to wear to church and Sunday school. Now days it seems that the old adage has gone by the wayside as I see people wearing tank tops and flip flops to church. It seems that the respect for God’s house has practically gone.
Have you noticed that church choirs and church organs are a thing of the past? Even the mega churches are doing away with choirs and organs in favor of “praise teams” with guitars and drums providing the music. The old hymns are a thing of the past as well. They now use the new praise songs with the words projected on the walls. That makes it difficult for the folk who want to sing parts to the music.
Have you noticed that people no longer are asked to “give a hand” to entertainers? They are now asked to “give it up for” them. I have wondered what is being given up in some fashion by simply clapping approval.
As you age it is more difficult to accept change in everything. We like for things to stay the same. But, we just have to roll with the punches and try not to say anything about them, such as I have done in this article.
