Are you glad you were born years ago?

[BritManToo]

You really can easily despair about the kids of today with obesity and total lack of physical activity (for many).

None of my children are obese, or even slightly chubby.

Overweight children is down to poor parenting skills IMHO.

Didn't a previous poster suggest the world is on the edge of starvation, which one is it then?

[macksview]

primary school, sport,hunting rabbits, playing outside till dark, rose spec times.

high school, sport, beaches, chasing girls, mary jane was queen of substance.

now, cyber bullying, ice, body image, a planet in stress.

give me the aus beachside town of 1976, not 2016

[brling]

I agree with your post.

I could not go back to live in the nanny state of oz anymore. It used to be a good country 20 to 25 yrs ago. Now the people are strange and all after the money. Bills are extremely high and people are struggling. Id rather be in thailand and not have to worry about speeding in my car and being pulled over

So It's Australian's that are after the money, That would never happen in Thailand

Right, no corruption no woman on the take no duel pricing no greed to be seen in Thailand by the ordinary man

Exactly, it is Australia (and the west) that are after the money. NEVER in Thailand, and NO Thais are struggling, period. Please "ghworker2010" remove the rose tints before you go blind, or is it too late.

[laolover88]

You cannot choose when you are born and you cannot, either, really choose when you die; though of course more and more life can now be prolonged.

We too are anxious over our childrens' future. We try to ensure they are educated so they do have choices, ensure they are healthy, try both to shield them from some of the evils of the world but also try to provide for them to become "streetwise". There is no way they are going to have the childhoods and adolescences that we had like that of which Kabula speaks, though to some extent in rural Wales and France it is still possible. They do roam free without looking over their shoulders for paedophiles,drug dealers and drones.

We have made what we think are the best decisions that we could for them; but they must choose their own futures. They have UK and Thai citizenship. I can hardly think of many other countries citizens in which I would feel they had better possibilities; Canada maybe. Of course the UK maybe over run by immigrants as might Thailand. They have land without which "persons are in danger of starvation". Being born in the UK just after WW2 with the exception of the scare of Suez and the idiocy of politicians means I have lived in peace all my life, which in Europe is nearly unprecedented. I don't think the poster above need worry about his beautiful wife! I am sure that when I pass on my beautiful wife who is 30 years younger than me will not be "alone" and why should she? And she will have the children. I don't think I could have wished for anything better!

[bazza40]

People said similar things 50 years ago, or 100, or probably any time before that. The current younger generation will probably say something similar when they get old.

This is less about the state of the world today, and more about the inflexibility that comes with age.

Disagree. It's the rate of change which is the scary thing now. That, and f#####t politicians.

You can go back to Juvenal in Roman times for references to the youth of today.

In hindsight, I lived in a golden age in Australia. I participated in the first mining boom as an analytical chemist, and went to a remote area. I bought a house in Melbourne, and paid off the mortgage in 18 months. Show me any middle class worker who could even dream of doing that today.

Later, I travelled the world as a technical expert in the steel industry. Our politicians have basically destroyed manufacturing industry in Australia, What I did could never happen now. Go to America and see the remnants of US Steel, LTV, Inland and Bethlehem - same there. Or Detroit, which is now no more than a ghetto. Or the UK Steel industry, don't the Indians own it now?

The levels of debt among nations that should have known better is now unprecedented. Permit me to doubt the inflexibility of age has anything to do with that.

[Ulic]

In the house I grew up in that my parents had built on the lake outside a small town

in rural Ontario Canada the front door of the house was never locked. When I say never,

I mean nobody had the keys to the door. One year we went on a three week family trip to

England and France to visit family over Christmas. Several friends stopped by, walked

inside, saw we where not home and left. They told us about it later. Nothing stolen, no

issues. The cars in the drive way where never locked. It was a more trusting and safer time.

When the house was sold 25 years later, there where no keys to pass on to the new owner.

The population of the earth has doubled, crime and violent serious crime is up greatly.

The world is a smaller place and it is easy and cheap to fly everywhere. Communication

is cheap, easy and instant. Lots to marvel at. Not everything is worse, not everything is

better, just different. You know, same, same, but different.

[Naam]

I feel my generation was the luckiest of all. we were the war children. We benefitted from the rebuilding. Jobs were easy to get the money was good. Houses were cheap.Cars were cheap and fast.Life was simple no libbers,no political correctness,no credit cards or atm cards.Gas was so cheap.Towns cities were smaller people were more community minded.No drugs in most communities.Families took care of themselves did not need government intervention,what family court? We had it all.The only draw back was sex was taken more seriously did not have birth control. Now the sex is so easy for the young.

don't forget the other problem we had when sex was concerned. Daddy's little helpers, e.g. Viagra was not available and i remember with horror an incident when i was approximately 18 and the young 17 year old lady asked "you need a break? does that mean you can't do it more often than four times?"

Edited March 24, 2016 by Naam

[BaldPlumber]

Pornhub have just announced a new virtual realty service. 360° porn in the palm of your hands so to speak.

Didn't have that as a teenager.

[willyumiii]

I grew up in the greatest place, in the greatest country, at the greatest time the world has ever known. I don't think it will ever be that way again.

Cheers.

Yeah, the 50's were a great time for white Americans.

[Asiantravel]

Absolutely! When I was a young boy, there were no divorces in our village. Women had the most important jobs, raising and educating children in the home to be polite and good citizens. All the neighborhood children played on farms, swam in the ponds and rivers, skied, ice skated, fished, hunted in our backyard's and picked apples that are four times larger than you find in the grocery stores today. There were farms in Connecticut every 2 miles and cows, crops and orchards as far as you could see. Today most are gone. Most had the same job till they retired. A middle class home could be built on an acre for $25,000. No crime to speak of and seldom saw a cop. If we did he was friendly and helpful. He was dressed in blue, not black and did not drive a tank! He carried a pistol, not a machine gun! I often think about those special days.

" No crime to speak of and seldom saw a cop. If we did he was friendly and helpful. He was dressed in blue, not black "

[Kiwiken]

I grew up in the greatest place, in the greatest country, at the greatest time the world has ever known. I don't think it will ever be that way again.

Cheers.

Yeah, the 50's were a great time for white Americans.

I grew up in NZ and in the Southern Island. The families I grew up with were Brown and white and I did not know any different. I am glad I grew up in my Country because I learned and teach my children it is not the colour of skin or the accent that matters but how are person treats you. And as such it makes it so much more enjoyable for me to know live in a multicultural Society. Positive Change and diversity are good.

[connda]

Yeah, I got to live in a time when we had values, morality, and independence. What I see coming up is totally FUBARed. Although I still think that I may live long enough to see WWIII nuclear style.

[connda]

I'll say I'm glad to be old. 30-40 years ago I was lucky enough to be visiting places and doing things that are completely impossible now. Not to mention that there are now three times as many people on the planet compared to when I was young (and even back then there were ten times too many).

My nephew and niece are in their teens and I pity them.

in the late 90's I visited the Great Pyramid, and was able to go inside and crawl my way up into the sarcophagus room, they don't let tourists do that anymore- not that any tourists go to Cairo these days.

And when the guard left for his lunch I was there, by myself for about 1/2 an hour.

If time has a voice, I heard it that day.

I visited Stonehenge in my youth when you were able to walk around all the stones and touch them. Don't think you can do that now.

[connda]

As most of us were not born then I was talking about when we were young,in the 50s and 60s etc but then perhOs you are in your 80s and fought in the war? Terrible time ,but not my time

Which war?

Vietnam war ran from 1945-1975 (first 10 years France, next 20 years America)

Post war years were blissful . When I was married my wife and I lived on £5 per week for everything .

Rationing from WW2 didn't end in the UK until 1954, that couldn't have been all that 'blissful'.

It's a statistical fact that the UK population,particularly children, was at it's fittest in the early fifties. The irony is that this was caused by rationing and the simple diet and particularly the schoolkids receiving milk, school dinners, malt,cod liver oil and regular exercise.

You really can easily despair about the kids of today with obesity and total lack of physical activity (for many).

I'm with the OP on this, although I do realise that there could be an element of rose coloured spectacles from time to time.

I might get it in the neck here, but I think the introduction of the smart phone, and what it's doing to society, is a real and negative change to the way us humans interact.

Whilst on, another poster referred to all those killed in WW1. More were killed by nature in the 1919 flu epidemic.

I was brought up in post-WWII England, although I'm not English. School lunches? Lol. The "You can't have your pudding if you don't eat your meat" lyrics by Pink Floyd sure rang true. And gristly, gnarled meat it was too. Gag! (can you say, horse). Needless to say, I didn't eat much pudding. And our milk was delivered in glass bottles left in the front of the door with the cream rising to the top of the bottle as the milkman in his horse-drawn carriage meandered up the hill to the next home. I preferred my horses live. It was a good time to be a kid though. I wouldn't change it for the world.

Edited March 24, 2016 by connda

[AlexRich]

I'm not as pessimistic about the future for the younger generation, they're not dying at the Somme or Gallipoli, or being exterminated in concentration camps. There is the terror threat of course, but you are more likely to die at the wheel of a car than at the hands of a terrorist. This too, shall pass. I suspect they will find a way to progress like all the generations that came before them. We're an enduring lot, us humans.

[rijit]

People said similar things 50 years ago, or 100, or probably any time before that. The current younger generation will probably say something similar when they get old.

This is less about the state of the world today, and more about the inflexibility that comes with age.

Yep, this train of thought ain't any a little more self analysis, hopefully producing a more balanced open view would be more productive.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Jools]

I LIKE "nanny states". They provide a safety net for those who are plagued by bad luck or malevolent employers. Hard work guarantees you nothing.

[StreetCowboy]

I grew up in the greatest place, in the greatest country, at the greatest time the world has ever known. I don't think it will ever be that way again.

Cheers.

Me too!

I think that's what the OP said, as well.

My son says the same.

And so did my grandmother.

SC

[StreetCowboy]

I agree with your post.

I could not go back to live in the nanny state of oz anymore. It used to be a good country 20 to 25 yrs ago. Now the people are strange and all after the money. Bills are extremely high and people are struggling. Id rather be in thailand and not have to worry about speeding in my car and being pulled over

So It's Australian's that are after the money, That would never happen in Thailand

Right, no corruption no woman on the take no duel pricing no greed to be seen in Thailand by the ordinary man or by the system.

Thank God for Thailand, the land of opportunity and good will.

Yes apart from the disgraceful driving and the atrocious behavior during Songkran.

there's more to life than traffic

[StreetCowboy]

The World truly is in a position in which man will destroy it due to greed and the love of money. The United States was once a great country now 1% of the population control the wealth and 99% are headed towards poverty. This is not sustainable and there will be another American Revolution in 30 years. Europe is headed for totalitarianism or fascism due to unfettered immigration from the Middle East. Millions of Europeans died to stop it before but history will repeat itself just like Enoch Powell predicted years ago. Thailand will survive but an event will change the country forever but Thai people are more resilient than those in the West. They can revert back to the land and sustain themselves. Westerners are in for a hard lesson. I fear for my children and grandchildren- yet they will have a chance to correct all the things the current leaders have messed up. I hope some day- they will be referred to as the greatest generation.

You are a looney!

N210mp, I can't believe you endorsed such arrant nonsense.

The wars of 1914 - 18 and 1939 - 1945 had nothing to do with immigration, and were the last vestiges of European nationalist imperialism. Enoch Powell warned of a completely different hazard - which perhaps is one to which we are still at risk, but which was more related to the pogroms of Russia in the 1930s and the persecution of their Jewish compatriots by the Germans at the same time. The fear is not that we will all be slaughtered in our beds by darkies, but rather that resentment will result in intolerance and violence against minorities, as we have seen in Malaysia and Africa, more recently than the 1930s. His point as that immigration begets racism and intolerance.

The real danger is that self-serving rogues like Trump ant Putin will be able to destabilise our civilisation into a fearful, angry and intolerant mob that they can drive for their own personal gain. We should remember our principles of tolerance, respect and help for those worse off than ourselves, and resist the corrupt nonsense that people try to foist on us in the name of patriotism or religion

SC

[uthaithanirules]

I love my smartphone, never really bored anymore.

I remember the days before. The days before even the first mobiles, when you wanted to get hold of someone, you had to wait till they get home and ring them on a landline. Go out for a night on the town or some sporting event, or concert, if you got seperated, then that was it..unless you had arranged to meet up somewhere previously if you got lost.

I dont miss that.

And having to queue up anywhere, read the paper if you had one, otherwise yawn.

Love the internet, love smartphones, prefer how things are now

[n210mp]

The World truly is in a position in which man will destroy it due to greed and the love of money. The United States was once a great country now 1% of the population control the wealth and 99% are headed towards poverty. This is not sustainable and there will be another American Revolution in 30 years. Europe is headed for totalitarianism or fascism due to unfettered immigration from the Middle East. Millions of Europeans died to stop it before but history will repeat itself just like Enoch Powell predicted years ago. Thailand will survive but an event will change the country forever but Thai people are more resilient than those in the West. They can revert back to the land and sustain themselves. Westerners are in for a hard lesson. I fear for my children and grandchildren- yet they will have a chance to correct all the things the current leaders have messed up. I hope some day- they will be referred to as the greatest generation.

You are a looney!

N210mp, I can't believe you endorsed such arrant nonsense.

The wars of 1914 - 18 and 1939 - 1945 had nothing to do with immigration, and were the last vestiges of European nationalist imperialism. Enoch Powell warned of a completely different hazard - which perhaps is one to which we are still at risk, but which was more related to the pogroms of Russia in the 1930s and the persecution of their Jewish compatriots by the Germans at the same time. The fear is not that we will all be slaughtered in our beds by darkies, but rather that resentment will result in intolerance and violence against minorities, as we have seen in Malaysia and Africa, more recently than the 1930s. His point as that immigration begets racism and intolerance.

The real danger is that self-serving rogues like Trump ant Putin will be able to destabilise our civilisation into a fearful, angry and intolerant mob that they can drive for their own personal gain. We should remember our principles of tolerance, respect and help for those worse off than ourselves, and resist the corrupt nonsense that people try to foist on us in the name of patriotism or religion

SC

My dear friend SC

The fact that I "endorsed" a post with the "like Button" doesn't mean that I endorse or even like the whole post, it merely means especially in this case that there was something that I agreed with within the said post.

I endorsed your post but I dont agree with much of what you state but I did "like" some of what you said in that post but not your mainly "highly subjective" interpretation of the issues

Now get on your bike and stop trying to flame me into getting involved in a useless and meaningless argument about what in truth I really dont give a S++t about, you little flamer you!

Now before people jump on me for not giving a s++T let me say that in my opinion its too late for any discussion on the state of Europe, it's a done deal, it is finished or soon will be my only issue is whether the UK will still be able to avoid bankruptcy and thereby still pay my meagre NHS pension that is of course a benefit NOT that I didn't paid in for this so called benefit !

[NoshowJones]

I agree with your post.

I could not go back to live in the nanny state of oz anymore. It used to be a good country 20 to 25 yrs ago. Now the people are strange and all after the money. Bills are extremely high and people are struggling. Id rather be in thailand and not have to worry about speeding in my car and being pulled over

So It's Australian's that are after the money, That would never happen in Thailand

Right, no corruption no woman on the take no duel pricing no greed to be seen in Thailand by the ordinary man or by the system.

Thank God for Thailand, the land of opportunity and good will.

Yes apart from the disgraceful driving and the atrocious behavior during Songkran.

there's more to life than traffic

Yes there is, but what would the biggest majority of ex pats and tourists be saying about Thailand if the average Thai drivers and riders had

a mentality similar to the average Western drivers?

and if Songkran was the way it should be, and celebrated as such?

[Sharp]

Often think about how good my childhood was even without alot of money, I now watch reruns of top of the pops and alike with great fondness.. Remember being told to be home when the streetlamps come on... Being out all day with friends, kick the can, hide n seek, Tazan swings etc... Into my Teenage years always felt safe.,never worried where I went.. I do feel sorry for the youth of today and what the world is coming too and would definitely not prefer to be younger... Jesus I sound like an old Dodger has haha... So yes growing up in the 70s /80s was for me happy days and definitely no complaints

[i claudius]

When i started the topic , i was not knocking smartphones tv or the like ,because i love them , i love the fact that i can phone my daughter free whenever i want or text my son in an instant , i was talking about how "free" we were , the fact we did not have these things did not matter , we did not know we would ever get them , we "wanted" very little ,because there was little to have so it made us more contented.

As for the world ,yes there were terrible wars , but they were before my time ,and to be honest i was not frightened by the fact Russia was the enemy ,we were not confronted with it every 5 minutes .

Now the worry is overpopulation and the lack of water and food and invasion of the west by the have nots , believe me you can hide your head in the sand all you like ,but and its a big but , its coming .

[CaptHaddock]

While there are certainly daunting challenges ahead for mankind: over-population, global warming, resource conflict, and the rest of it, it is well to bear in mind how much the human race has accomplished in the last 200 years. Hans Rosling, who is one of the most impressive people alive in my opinion, presents the history of economic development and the raising of living standards in the last two centuries in this four-minute video.

It's possible to lose sight of the big picture.

[GuestHouse]

When i started the topic , i was not knocking smartphones tv or the like ,because i love them , i love the fact that i can phone my daughter free whenever i want or text my son in an instant , i was talking about how "free" we were , the fact we did not have these things did not matter , we did not know we would ever get them , we "wanted" very little ,because there was little to have so it made us more contented.

As for the world ,yes there were terrible wars , but they were before my time ,and to be honest i was not frightened by the fact Russia was the enemy ,we were not confronted with it every 5 minutes .

Now the worry is overpopulation and the lack of water and food and invasion of the west by the have nots , believe me you can hide your head in the sand all you like ,but and its a big but , its coming .

I grew up in the 60s and 70s, there was certainly concern about overpopulation back then. Images of war in Asia were on the nightly news, as were images of famine in Africa.

Poverty had not been extinguished at home either, almost all inner city schools, and a good many rural schools had pupils without warm clothes in the winter, children with holes in their shoes, kids sent to school with no breakfast and going home to meagre meals in the evenings. No there was not the 'over consumption' of later years, but it was certainly not the idyllic period of your memory.

There is a smell that comes with poverty, its a smell I recall from the homes of people I grew up with, no they didn't have I-Phones, they were lucky to have coal for the fire and enough blankets for their beds.

The police didn't give naughty children a clip upside the ear, they beat seven shades out of people, for 'answering back', 'bad attitude', being the wrong colour or for being 'a puff', or simply beat people up because they could.

As for the invasion of the west by the 'have nots', you've forgotten haven't you, by the mid seventies things where getting better, people where becoming more affluent, the question being asked, and asked often enough down the years was 'How are we going to share our wealth with the rest of the world' - It was clear from the start that the west could not continue to amass wealth while the rest of the world floundered, that there would come a breaking point.

Well here it is.

We have the internet, a kid in Pakisatan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Ghana or anywhere, can log on and see were the good life is, look at his own resources and decide how much of the good life he can get for himself. He'll find websites and online guides, online friends to help and advise him.

Just like you did you hypocrite.

[BORRISGOODENUF]

Ahh yes! I do remember the good old days, way back when one needed to return home in the car with one eye closed so I wasn't looking at two white lines!

When beer was less than 2 shillings for half a pint, looking for a sly grog shop, because everything closed at 6pm, visits to the club for more embibment, more beer and even more. Days when half a sheep could be purchased for less than 30bob, when beef was affordable, bread and butter puddings, rabbits cooked innumerable ways, "AH yes,the good old days"!

Remembering the great motor cars one could buy for 25 quid when the reggo' ran out on the one we left on the side of the road. I remember my first job paying 2pounds 8n6 for a weeks work and how far that money went, I remember my first great car, a 1937 Bentley continental I bought for 1100quid.. The mark4 jaguar I bought from the Syme company for 400 quid with only 20000miles on the clock. remembering everything about the war in Vietnam and other incidents around South east Asia. Remembering my Grand Father returning after 1059 days at the hands of the Japs and how he suffered, remembering 40 years of marriage, running businesses, lots of hard yakka, yes, the good old days!

How ever, what we have left are memories, mostly very good ones but, hoping for a happy ending! "Yes I am glad I was borne years ago".

good luck to all!

[Swamp Thing]

I've always found life interesting.

I found it interesting when I was young.

I found it interesting when I was not so young.

I find it interesting now.

I'm glad I was born.

[Colabamumbai]

Yes born in 1950 in Toronto. I was lucky enough to spend ten years in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia Japan and a number of other countries, when I was in my 20's.

Thanks mother.

Now retired in Thailand. How the world has changed.