I was always a sentimental person; that’s just one of the most fundamental facts about me. As I advanced in age, I became more inclined to follow the rational approach into things as opposed to letting feelings and emotions dictate my actions. Of course, I still indulge in the completely human activity of sentimentality, but it comes with the caveat that rationality is the best.
One of the realizations I’ve made as an older person is that the past was the absolute worst. This was not my mindset back in high school and college, as I frequently reminisced the “good old days”. In and of itself, reminiscing is not bad. It’s fine. Looking back towards fond memories gives you a nice, fuzzy feeling. If it gives you a serotonin boost, by all means, reminisce the crap out of your past.
Now, onto the rational part. The internet, especially social media is often bombarded with posts about how people wish they could just go back to the past when all the 21st century nonsense that we have today didn’t exist. Dumb TikTok trends, overzealous cancel culture, fast-paced lifestyles, oversharing of personal things, etc., all of that good stuff. Admittedly those can overwhelm you when you don’t know how to deal with them.
But listen, the past was simple. Simple is good, but not all the time. I grew up in the 90’s in a “simple” town in Iloilo called Oton. The streets were dark and empty by 9 P.M. Public transport became scarce at 8 P.M. There were no 24-hour convenience stores, drug stores and other health establishments closed at 6 P.M. Basically, life revolved inside the household after sundown. I’m sure you can use the previous sentences to describe plenty of towns in the Philippines during the 90’s. Hell, I’m sure this was the case even in some cities.
You can argue that it’s all fine and dandy until you consider all the inconveniences this “simplicity” presents. I had asthma as a child. We usually had a stock of medicines just in case I had an attack, but what if we ran out in the middle of the night? I’m forked if that happened. For us to buy medicines, we had to rush to the city (which was only a 15-20 minute drive) but again, public transport was nonexistent by 8 or 9. The only family member who had a private vehicle was my uncle. Nobody else knew how to drive at the time.
Let’s talk communication. We have relatives in Davao, Negros Occidental, and the USA. I remember writing letters to a lolo in New Jersey. It would take months for him to receive it, and another few months for us to receive his reply (Quick tangent, he still prefers sending handwritten letters over emails these days lmao).. International phone calls cost a fortune. Even domestic calls from the Visayas to, say, Manila was expensive. EVEN PHONE CALLS TO NEIGHBORING TOWNS WAS FROWNED UPON. The only phone calls I’ve had were with elementary school classmates from across the street, talking about homework.
AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON SOCIETAL NORMS IN THE PAST. Look, we still have a long waaaaaay to go in the present when it comes to battling racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and just general lack of acceptance for cultural differences. But it was exponentially much worse back in the day. Being different usually means you get ostracized or violently beaten. It still happens today, but people know better and effort has been put to educate people why being different is okay and that beating people is not.
Also, now people who embrace a lifestyle that’s different from the norm generally have an easier time finding kindred spirits who enjoy the same things they do. Back then, you’re on your own pal!
All that was just from the point of view of small-town Philippines in the 90’s. It’s as bad, if not worse, in other parts of the world. And it absolute gets worse the further back in time we go. Remember, as recent as 1958, a zoo… A ZOO – an establishment that showcases exotic, wild animals to the public – in Belgium had indigenous people as one of the attractions! HUMAN FREAK SHOWS! In 1958. Our grandparents and probably some of our parents were already alive during a time where a certain section of society (*cough* white people *cough*) still believed some races were akin to savage animals. Bonkers.
Want more examples why the past was the worst? Companies went unregulated when it comes to environmentally-destructive business activities. Climate change awareness was only at its fetal stage. Companies just put out products that were destructive to human health (they said cigarettes were good for your health lmao) with reckless abandon.
Let’s make a quick trip further back into the past. During the medieval ages up to the time Penicillin was discovered, if you had an infection, you’re basically dead meat regardless of age. Also, people believed sickness was caused bad smells (read up on miasma theory) and the remedy was good smells. This is why those plague doctors had their extremely awesome bird costume — they put fragrant flowers in the beaks so they “won’t get sick” when curing people.
Famine, plagues, and pestilence was common. The threat of war and invasion was a daily occurrence. Water was almost always undrinkable, people were forced to hydrate with beer. Ancient tools and machines were helpful but were simple and not very effective.You, as an individual, and your family were most likely owned by a king or some rich noble. Hygiene was bad. You didn’t have access to decent toilets and indoor plumbing (unless you’re in Rome, the Romans were awesome).
Now we go back to the present. My “simple” hometown is bustling. We have a mall now. We have multiple 7-Elevens, several 24-hour drugstores, a hotel, several restaurants that deliver using FoodPanda and GrabFood. We even have a freaking Samgyeopsal restaurant nearby. Public transportation caters to people even into the wee hours of midnight and beyond. Clinics and hospitals have sprouted in and around town.That’s progress and it’s awesome.
Then we have fiber internet connections, 4G and 5G towers (which don’t cause COVID you idiots), satellite cable. Oh my goodness, communication has never been easier. We can videocall my cousins in the US anytime we want, I can randomly ask my friends in Cebu what’s up, I can order stuff from China in the convenience of your toilet!!! The amount of entertainment and information content we have is staggering. Boredom is truly (or at least it should be) moot at this point. Why would anyone give all these up?
Many diseases have been eradicated in the past couple of decades and haven’t resurfaced since.. Previously un-curable diseases now either have cures or have medicines made specifically made to combat said disease and help afflicted people live normal lives. Promising advancements in medical sciences have people optimistic about the cure for cancer. World hunger has been lowered (but unfortunately not totally eradicated). Human lifespan has increased. Food shortages are now infrequent. General height and weight have increased as a result of the abundance of food.
If one were to get overwhelmed by all the technology, and social media and stuff, all they need to do is turn those gadgets off. Simple. Even your own devices have settings that help you lower your screen time. Utilize them and use technology only for important things until the time you’re ready to dive back into social media. Go outside and touch grass in the meantime. The point is you have a choice to turn them on and off. We didn’t have that luxury back in the day. It’s “off” by default, even in important situations. Would you really prefer that? I like having a choice.
Like I said earlier, we still need to continue to fight for equality and acceptance in the present. But at least we’ve seen progress. People are now more aware of issues regarding homophobia, racism, xenophobia, cultural insensitivity, among others. Many people have seen the light and are more accepting of different lifestyles and point of views. And the marginalized sectors now have an avenue to easily tell their stories, air grievances, and connect with kindred spirits. People are now more confident in subverting traditional gender and societal norms. People are now freer in expressing themselves — just look around, at how people now dress, or color their hair, or do activities not traditionally associated with one’s gender. These are achievements that should be celebrated and pointed out.
Wealth is distributed unevenly. Some countries have an overflow of produce while others live in or along the poverty/hunger line. But unlike in the past where these usually spell death sentences for the afflicted, we now have organizations that strive hard for the betterment of those less fortunate.
The present is not perfect, there is still much work to do, and quite frankly I do not believe we can totally eradicate every issue we face. It’s just the reality of things. But remember the past was the worst. Ancient people pursued the advancement of science to make life easier. Humans used stone tools for several million years. It only took us 5000 years to go from bronze tools to the sort of technology we have now. Progress is good. We’re better off with it. Human society as a whole is living its best life because of these innovations.
Like I said earlier, there’s nothing wrong with remembering the past so long as we don’t fall into the trap of romanticizing it. IfI’m given the choice to live in the present or live in the post, 13 times out of 10 I would choose the present without blinking. It’s just better now.
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