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Old 08-11-2020, 06:26 PM
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Default The Times. How bad do we really have it?

A Stephen West wrote this. Something to ponder...

Imagine you were born in 1900. On your 14th birthday, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday. 22 million people perish in that war. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until your 20th birthday. 50 million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million. On your 29th birthday, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, the World GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy. When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet. And don’t try to catch your breath. On your 41st birthday, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war. At 50, the Korean War starts. 5 million perish. At 55 the Vietnam War begins and doesn’t end for 20 years. 4 million people perish in that conflict. On your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, should have ended. Great leaders prevented that from happening. When you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends.

Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? When you were a kid in 1985 and didn’t think your 85 year old grandparent understood how hard school was. And how mean that kid in your class was. Yet they survived through everything listed above. Perspective is an amazing art. Refined as time goes on, and enlightening like you wouldn’t believe. Let’s try and keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out.
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Old 08-11-2020, 07:17 PM
bobtodrick bobtodrick is offline
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Yeah, but they were never asked to wear masks 😬
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Old 08-11-2020, 08:01 PM
jstubbs jstubbs is offline
 
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Some days I think of the life my grandfather had. He was born in Greece in 1920. Poor as all hell, he had if I recall correctly 18 siblings, and almost half perished from starvation. When he was 20, Greece was brought into WWII, where he fought in a tank crew, which ended up driving over a landmine and ejecting him from the tank, surviving miraculously.

He then lived through the Axis occupation, then fought in the Greek civil war which followed WWII until 1949. After nearly 10 years of straight war, he then immigrated across the world to Canada to live with a brother, in the middle of the winter--imagine experiencing that after living your whole life in balmy mediterranean Greece. He spoke absolutely no English and worked as a janitor in a restaurant, staying late to learn as much about cooking as he could, while working hard to learn English. Eventually he worked his way to becoming a chef, and later opened his own restaurant, which is still open today after over 40 years.

Not only that, he started a family, and worked his ass off everyday into his 90s to provide for them. It makes me immensely proud to directly blood related to him.

Any of our hardest days would have been some of his easiest. Of course, our experiences and what defines a bad day is all relative, but sometimes things like this are good for perspective, no question.
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Old 08-11-2020, 08:11 PM
wildwoods wildwoods is offline
 
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Never mind
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Old 08-11-2020, 08:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobtodrick View Post
Yeah, but they were never asked to wear masks 😬
Actually they were

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/20...s-1918/614272/
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Old 08-11-2020, 08:28 PM
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My dad was born in 1900 in North Battleford to a Metis mother and Scottish father and had a hell of a life. Racism, poverty, abuse, you name it. Didn't have a great life but made the best of it. Wasn't the greatest father but managed to get through 8 kids. Sure there was racism when i was growing up and had a hard time but it just made me stronger as I had to fight my way through school. You can blame it on everyone or everything but if you don't have the drive to make your life better you are doomed to failure. I could have gone to the dark side and blame everyone else for my failures. Went back to College at age 35 after not finishing high school after my divorce due to not being able to satisfy my ex with all of the luxuries she wanted. Just picked up my 2020 Platinum F450 and am pretty happy with life after working hard to get what I worked for. Everyone has the same opportunity if they choose!
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Old 08-11-2020, 10:32 PM
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As bad as things seem now, they have been worse in the past. We aren't sending our Sons to a world war (yet), most homes can provide a healthy meal for the table. Those with a good work ethic will pull thru what the future brings. The ones that coast thru life with their hands open will be the first to be left behind. Think someone once said " the cure for Socialism is Socialism" or something to that effect. Remember, bad times begat strong men, strong men brought good times, good times begat weak men (now), weak men bring bad times. Question is how far into bad times will we go this time?
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Old 08-11-2020, 11:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobtodrick View Post
Yeah, but they were never asked to wear masks 😬
"Oh, The humanity!"


Quote:
Originally Posted by TimeOff View Post
As bad as things seem now, they have been worse in the past. We aren't sending our Sons to a world war (yet), most homes can provide a healthy meal for the table. Those with a good work ethic will pull thru what the future brings. The ones that coast thru life with their hands open will be the first to be left behind. Think someone once said " the cure for Socialism is Socialism" or something to that effect. Remember, bad times begat strong men, strong men brought good times, good times begat weak men (now), weak men bring bad times. Question is how far into bad times will we go this time?
It does make one wonder about the seeming inevitability of such cycles. History is rife with examples so its not as though its ludicrous to imagine. Currently we have China attempting economic overthrow of nearly everywhere, while at home, politically we see the extreme left and extreme right both seem to be growing while simultaneously losing their collective IQ (this despite increased membership!). If/when something hits the fan, I hope its not when I'm old and feeble; then of course I also don't want it for my son or other young people who are not party to it. I'm hoping there's a correction pending, as the current direction is towards disaster, the nations debt level is unsustainable, both federally as well as personal debt.
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Last edited by CaberTosser; 08-12-2020 at 12:08 AM.
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Old 08-12-2020, 12:12 AM
GENINC GENINC is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobtodrick View Post
Yeah, but they were never asked to wear masks 😬
How can you live with such an inconvenience?!

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Old 08-12-2020, 08:33 AM
calgarychef calgarychef is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobtodrick View Post
Yeah, but they were never asked to wear masks 😬
Yes they were... and gas masks later on too.
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Old 08-12-2020, 09:12 AM
W921 W921 is offline
 
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My Grandmother always idealized to me what her life was like years ago. She only remembered or talked about the good things until she got dementia and Alzheimer's.
Then I learned from her the other side of things. We never forget things. Its all in our heads deep down. My grandmother relived every bad thing that ever happened to her or was done or said to her by people who were long dead before I was born.
If I look at my own life there was always a reason not to be happy if I allowed it. We just have to not worry about what we can't control ,do the best with what we have and try or best to treat others in a good way.
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