tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post470201377808167136..comments2024-03-28T18:11:40.841-04:00Comments on Sightings Over Sixty: Lessons Learned from the 1950sTomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08611148987085476580noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-65951011399542047932015-11-02T22:34:32.831-05:002015-11-02T22:34:32.831-05:00Growing up during the 1950's was magical. Duri...Growing up during the 1950's was magical. During summer breaks, I was encouraged to explore, climb trees, play in the dirt, roll around in the mud and collect anything that moved or stung upon contact. School was boring but recess was great. Now I am retired and the Texas rains have have left the best looking mud puddles in my backyard. It's time to visit the backyard. Cleanup is optional.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01581643327349155238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-46065937604851363802015-10-23T20:16:19.558-04:002015-10-23T20:16:19.558-04:00I came of age in the 60's. Those were times w...I came of age in the 60's. Those were times where those of my generation thought we were changing the way the world would spin. We had been told by our teachers in the 50's that we were children of great promise because we were born at the end of WWII. I remember the scary times of Sputnik well. Now, I'd love to go back to those "scary" times when things weren't so scary after all. Or would I? Things did seem much simpler then. <br /><br />I'm grateful to have grown up when I did. I think I have had a great foundation that was established in the 50s for viewing the world of today. I know that the three C's of choice, chance, and change all factor into most things in life. I have had more choices than my mother ever had in life. I also have embraced change and not clung to the past. I guess that attitude has come from not being afraid to take some chances. Sally Wesselyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06470453773515491625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-7104527525776441312015-10-23T19:41:26.890-04:002015-10-23T19:41:26.890-04:00We all know that two people standing in the same s...We all know that two people standing in the same spot will see the same event but when they begin telling about it the story will be very different. The 50's you talked about here are the 50's I knew and loved. Well mostly. <br /><br />In recent years I read "Advise and Consent" by Alan Drury. the novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960. In that book the homosexual issue and communism were the focal points of the story. Another book written during that time was "The Power of the Dog" by Thomas Savage. It was interesting that two books written during a very conservative era dealt with homophobia. Reading books written in an era is very telling. <br /><br />b+ (Retire In Style Blog)https://www.blogger.com/profile/05114209481329773753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-74237595324112905662015-10-23T18:48:59.576-04:002015-10-23T18:48:59.576-04:00I think it was Napoleon who claimed that history w...I think it was Napoleon who claimed that history was great so long as you understand it didn't happen that way.stephen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659054447637207734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-51313626274145653522015-10-23T13:18:17.416-04:002015-10-23T13:18:17.416-04:00A great post, Tom. I was not in this country in th...A great post, Tom. I was not in this country in the 50's, but the 60's were quite liberating, on so many fronts, including how a whole nation woke up after the assassination of President Kennedy. It was a turning point for the youth at that time, asking questions of institutions and cultural norms rather than basking in the sun of optimism and self indulgence.Rosaria Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133147851332084180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-86342814594871116352015-10-23T09:21:59.955-04:002015-10-23T09:21:59.955-04:00Look at the VW debacle and how companies really tr...Look at the VW debacle and how companies really treat their employees, Amazon anyone..It seems to me that people who make billions rarely share it with others and make their employees work like hell and really don't think of them at all..Sorry for the working man..It has never changed but the people have changed, ever since women have been working full time in our society (USA) life has been totally different..I like to think of them as pioneers not the big shots who are making money from the internet and its many companies who have been spawned from it going big time..Too bad the USA doesn't really get Hillary R. Clinton, they grilled her harder than any brat, burger or roast, but she kept a CALM demeanor and answered and answered now here is our candidate for the Presidency indeed, as much as I love Bernie Sanders, being socialist as he is and wanting all to share the American Dream and enjoy living in the greatest country, it is Hillary Clinton who will get the job done with class...Now if she is elected maybe parity for men's jobs will finally be a reality indeedy!!!!!!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-32205590920243130702015-10-22T19:59:59.293-04:002015-10-22T19:59:59.293-04:00My 50s' experience in Holy Ireland completely ...My 50s' experience in Holy Ireland completely different. Repressive and restrictive towards women particularly.<br /><br />Life keeps changing, though, some for the better (a new age MAY have dawned in Canada)and some for the worse (endless war).<br /><br />There is much to be thankful for.<br /><br />XO<br />WWWWisewebwomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15281689872840844191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-37394352033367767332015-10-22T14:48:44.616-04:002015-10-22T14:48:44.616-04:00Hi Tom! My husband Thom and I call riding the &qu...Hi Tom! My husband Thom and I call riding the "fractal wave" ever since we heard author Jean Houston use it to describe the ebb and flow of life, the pendulum swing back and forth. Because we've been in real estate "forever" we have seen good times and bad times. They all ride the "fractal wave" and it's best to learn from your experience because it will return again one way or another. Some people were so surprised at the mortgage meltdown of 2007-09. They shouldn't have been because it was just another wave. Think real estate is doing well again. Of course it is. But down assume it won't do the opposite at some time in the future. Unfortunately people have VERY short memories. But if you can stay conscious you can usually ride the wave and come out fine. ~KathyKathy @ SMART Living 365.comhttp://smartliving365.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-66388450030979406982015-10-22T09:10:31.329-04:002015-10-22T09:10:31.329-04:00One friend, a respected economist in these parts, ...One friend, a respected economist in these parts, justifies his faith by looking at major trends throughout the human experience and finding a progression from evil toward goodness. Despite many steps backward and excessive publicity about exceptions, we do have less violence and crime in the world than generations that preceded us. <br /><br />If my pal is correct, and he seems to be when one hears the complete rationale, we elders have done pretty well and there is hope for even better days ahead for our kids and grandkids. I read Halberstrom about 10 years ago, and recall him putting a positive twist on much of the portrait he tried to paint of the 50s. His view of those times correlates rather well with my experiences. Dick Kladehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11793395712483278104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-90796491556374431722015-10-21T17:17:56.636-04:002015-10-21T17:17:56.636-04:00When I saw the movie Bridge of Spies about the U-2...When I saw the movie Bridge of Spies about the U-2 incident in 1960, I realized that the same forces that we saw in the 1950s are still extant and are only marginally different. Good movie, BTW. I recommend it highly for history buffs. :-)DJanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07152183871573797791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-20235752193269908082015-10-21T12:46:22.104-04:002015-10-21T12:46:22.104-04:00I remember the 1950s as being ultra-conservative a...I remember the 1950s as being ultra-conservative and religious. Then the 1960s came along and changed everything. I became a rebel. Now here I am on the verge of turning 70, the gateway of old age. I am neither conservative nor rebellious. I am now a middle of the roader.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-626594980028435818.post-26926644270732477862015-10-21T12:08:58.874-04:002015-10-21T12:08:58.874-04:00As a historian I cringe when I hear expressions li...As a historian I cringe when I hear expressions like "Nothing new under the sun." History doesn't repeat itself....the first lesson you learn when you study history. Pop history writers repeat themselves, however. As I look back on the fifties, I see things I detest and things I think were better than they are now. <br /><br />For example, highway litter was a terrible problem in the 1950s when everyone was buyng a new car following WWII. Today we are doing a much better job of recycling paper and plastic. And about those cars...gas was cheap and gas guzzlers became common. Today many people are much more conscious of gas prices andclean air / auto pollution.<br /> <br />You mentioned Black civil rights progress, but as a woman, I can tell you my granddaughters have much more freedom than I ever did...perhaps too much freedom. Most of the things that mattered to me have been addressed. Birth control is legal and available, you can divorce a scumbag if you have too. <br /><br />I could go on and on, but we've made some progress as a nation since the 1950s. We've also done serious backsliding as a nation. Read a real historian...read Francis Fukuyams, or if your interests lean left, Eric Hobsbawm who ended his life on a very negative note about the west.. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com