Discussions

Today I spoke to an old friend I know through my years as a Health Care Aide. One thing that we talked about is how things were when we were growing up. Anything from helping your neighbors, taking time to check on and speak to the older generation. When i think of those days I recall the warm feeling I had now I can fully understand what that feeling was all about. Why can't people change with the times yet keep the common sense and courtesy of manners as well as respect. Has times changed that much where everyone is to busy with trying to keep up rather than stopping and smelling the roses?  
Your Thoughts

Things have changed. Please don't blame it all on the "younger generation", either. I honestly had a lady get rude and snappy with me because I referred to her as ma'am. I did not do it because of her age. I was raised in such a way that if you are not familiar with a person, regardless if they're 19 or 99, you refer to them as sir or ma'am/miss.

SilentObserver said "Things have changed. Please don't blame it all on the "younger generation", either. I honestly had a lady get rude and snappy with me because I referred to her as ma'am. I did not do it because of her age. I was raised in such a way that if you are not familiar with a person, regardless if they're 19 or 99, you refer to them as sir or ma'am/miss. "

I don't blame it on the "Younger Generation" and apologize if it came across as I was. I myself have called ladies "Ma'am" and if looks could kill wow, I have held doors open for people, which at times it appears they think your up to something. I can personally tell you about many experiences I have faced in which I have a hard time understanding.  
Things have changed indeed but it has affected many generations.  
 
Thanks for your thoughts

D.H. said "    SilentObserver said "Things have changed. Please don't blame it all on the "younger generation", either. I honestly had a lady get rude and snappy with me because I referred to her as ma'am. I did not do it because of her age. I was raised in such a way that if you are not familiar with a person, regardless if they're 19 or 99, you refer to them as sir or ma'am/miss. " I don't blame it on the "Younger Generation" and apologize if it came across as I was. I myself have called ladies "Ma'am" and if looks could kill wow, I have held doors open for people, which at times it appears they think your up to something. I can personally tell you about many experiences I have faced in which I have a hard time understanding.   Things have changed indeed but it has affected many generations.     Thanks for your thoughts "

I think the biggest culprit really is all of our technology. Everyone has become so dependent on it! If you want/need to know something, it's at your fingertips. We've very much become a culture that expects/demands instant gratification. People have lost the joy of the simple things, like writing a letter, or a post card. If they can't have it instantly, it's not worth having, apparently.  
 
I had a visit to the family farm this weekend, and I realized how much I missed the simple things- like digging my fingers and toes in the garden, and how quiet it is when you're a mile from your closest neighbour.

SilentObserver said "    D.H. said "    SilentObserver said "Things have changed. Please don't blame it all on the "younger generation", either. I honestly had a lady get rude and snappy with me because I referred to her as ma'am. I did not do it because of her age. I was raised in such a way that if you are not familiar with a person, regardless if they're 19 or 99, you refer to them as sir or ma'am/miss. " I don't blame it on the "Younger Generation" and apologize if it came across as I was. I myself have called ladies "Ma'am" and if looks could kill wow, I have held doors open for people, which at times it appears they think your up to something. I can personally tell you about many experiences I have faced in which I have a hard time understanding.   Things have changed indeed but it has affected many generations.     Thanks for your thoughts " I think the biggest culprit really is all of our technology. Everyone has become so dependent on it! If you want/need to know something, it's at your fingertips. We've very much become a culture that expects/demands instant gratification. People have lost the joy of the simple things, like writing a letter, or a post card. If they can't have it instantly, it's not worth having, apparently.     I had a visit to the family farm this weekend, and I realized how much I missed the simple things- like digging my fingers and toes in the garden, and how quiet it is when you're a mile from your closest neighbour. "

Yes I myself have seen first hand how people go "off the deep end" if they misplace, or their gadgets break down. I find that a simple letter/card with a persons hand written comments means so much, sometimes a person needs to go back to their roots to realize how precious life is and smell the roses as well as to walk barefoot in the dirt.

I don't like being called maam as it makes me feel old even though it is a sign of respect and what else can be used. I feel like I am in the military. It is still better than being called the b word.  
 
It is when I get called Sir that I blow a gasket.

Well, my spouse is military, so...old habits die hard. ;)  
 
I have joked with customers that I call them sir or ma'am because my boss doesn't like it when I say "Hey Dude" or "What's up, doc?"

When a waiter/waitress says { to a couple of ladies}  
Are you guys ready to order. It drives me crazy.  
Sometimes I reply Us guys are ready! Most times they donot catch on anyways. Sigh........

....entirely. I knew my great Grandpa, Grandpa, Dad and oldest brother, and every one of them has waxed poetic about how things have changed for the worse and how it was all the new fangled things or ways or music.  
 
I witness acts of kindness and good manners regularly. I think what has changed is people have become more sinical because they are just too lazy to look around and pay attention.  
 
 

oldcowgirl said "I don't like being called maam as it makes me feel old even though it is a sign of respect and what else can be used. I feel like I am in the military. It is still better than being called the b word.     It is when I get called Sir that I blow a gasket. "

The irony of your comment when one looks at your user name! Oh my.  
 
Back on topic, yes times have changed and not much for the better, in my opinion.  

Spaghetti Monster said "....entirely. I knew my great Grandpa, Grandpa, Dad and oldest brother, and every one of them has waxed poetic about how things have changed for the worse and how it was all the new fangled things or ways or music.     I witness acts of kindness and good manners regularly. I think what has changed is people have become more sinical because they are just too lazy to look around and pay attention.       "

Every generation looks that how the times change and compares it to the glossy memories they choose to remember from their past. People don't change that much from generation to generation. You have good people, you have bad people and everyone in between. I think what changes is the culture in which we grow up. Culture changes from generation to generation which can make it challenging for the older generation to understand the younger generation and vice versa.

Spaghetti Monster said "....entirely. I knew my great Grandpa, Grandpa, Dad and oldest brother, and every one of them has waxed poetic about how things have changed for the worse and how it was all the new fangled things or ways or music.     I witness acts of kindness and good manners regularly. I think what has changed is people have become more sinical because they are just too lazy to look around and pay attention.       "

We all have cherished memories of years gone by, people always tend to say don't live in the past..Yet the past is where you need to go at times when you seem lost and need some advise, time to let your thoughts go back to better times.  
Culture has changed from one generation to another, My generation for instance was sneaking Love Letters to that special person that takes your breathe away, to picking up the phone and talking for hours before you are told to get off the phone, quiet walks without a fancy ringtone going off. Rock and Roll, as well as suppers together with the family.  
Changing in Cultures is good yet I still believe in Old Fashioned Courtesy and respect the words of the Older Generations.  
"We may not have alot but we have each other" was always the best remedy.  

think what the today's young generation will be saying to their grandkids? When their grandkids have who knows what technology. Just imagine trying to tell a grandkid that you used to talk on these mobile phones that could access the internet and all these other functions.  
 
Also wonder how our grandparents reacted to when there grandparents told them how they used to do things.  
 
'Your using a steam tractor to plow, in my days, we only had a horse and a single bottom plow!'  
 
Ya, every generation is going to reminiscence about their past.

The world may have changed, but life is still as it's always been. There may be a bit less eye contact with people busy looking at their text messages, but no it's still the same. Children still play and make friends, we still fall in love and get our hearts broke, we still laugh when things are funny and cry when we're really sad. Teens still know it all, and parents still worry about their children. People still can recognize right from wrong, and as sad as it is, we are still afraid of getting involved.  
 
When our children were in school I was always happy when teachers commented on how polite our kids were, and as silly as it sounds, at times this was just as important as their grades. I couldn't teach my kids to be smart, but believed by example I could teach them how to treat others. If life has changed, and people no longer have the time for people, is it because we were to busy ourselves to teach them.

don brown said "The world may have changed, but life is still as it's always been. There may be a bit less eye contact with people busy looking at their text messages, but no it's still the same. Children still play and make friends, we still fall in love and get our hearts broke, we still laugh when things are funny and cry when we're really sad. Teens still know it all, and parents still worry about their children. People still can recognize right from wrong, and as sad as it is, we are still afraid of getting involved.     When our children were in school I was always happy when teachers commented on how polite our kids were, and as silly as it sounds, at times this was just as important as their grades. I couldn't teach my kids to be smart, but believed by example I could teach them how to treat others. If life has changed, and people no longer have the time for people, is it because we were to busy ourselves to teach them. "

Growing up I was introduced to two different levels of life, the life of a farmer and the life of the Military. The Farming side consisted of fond memories of the party line phone, working from sun up to sundown and barn dances. Driving down the back roads to see where we would end up.  
The Military side did not take us all over the place as so many military families do, yet I saw what life was like before and after the military. Farm families to me were different than the city folks in many ways, politeness was a big one, it seemed as life on a farm ran by the sun where city folks ran by the time, anxious to get home and kick up there feet.  
Farm families back then went from generation to generation caring and respecting the land their ancestors put endless hours in, yet now the farms are not staying in the family as the kids have other plans for their lives. Farms are being bought up by bigger outfits, small town elevators are a thing of the past.  
We as parents do our best to teach our children morals, manners, about heartbreak, sorrow, life's lessons yet they don't always have time for their parents. Mind you we all were like that at one time or another, but a lot has changed with family values as well as respect. It is indeed a changing society, some good, some bad.

To look at history, and how manners and etiquette came about. In Europe during the later middle ages it became sort of a cultural fad, sort of a "high society" thing that became very popular. Cutlery had to be placed certain ways, proper ways of addressing people, asking for things, speaking, ect.  
 
People did certain things and helped certain people because there was a social obligation to do so, or risk being shamed. It wasnt always because they wanted to do these things.  
 
Religious guilt also played a huge part in in all.  
 
Just because this multi-generational social fad is now falling out of fashion, and people aren't quite as "Prim and Proper" as during the heyday of it all, doesn't mean there's a problem.  
 
Homo sapiens have been around for about 200,000 years, at least 199,500 of those years without any of the courtesies and manners of our recent era. We got on just fine before it and we'll likely get on just fine without it.  
 
 
 
Personally, I say life is short, Every person for themselves, if you are going help out others along the way and be a good person, do because you want to do it, not because it's expected of you by society, or of religious pressure.  
 

recycler said "I worked out for alot of years carrying the cell dropping dead at 6 and not moving an inch all night, massive tv subscription, computers, youtube, news, ordering out frequently.     I now work farming every day morning to sunset, cook for myself, feed the animals, play with the dog, work in the shop, drive the tractors, wear the leather mitts and parka in the winter chilling my cheeks.     I am very self sufficient and feel no need to have a cell even while travelling, I stopped watching tv (I dont even have a subscription all I have is over the air which I hardly watch except for the ellen dance - GOTTA HAVE THE ELLEN DANCE),     I am very happy. My outlook have improved immeasureably since not having a job. I have alot of patience, I sleep better, and I have more ambitions. Also I am physically stronger. "

I worked on a farm for roughly 5 years on my days off, working on a farm re-charged the batteries and really brought alot of things into perspective. I would love to be on a farm with my family where the nearest neighbor is a mile away, time seems to stand still and you can hear the crickets sing.