Eternally Stupid

I was looking over photos, that the Anchoress had linked to, of Depression Era - but they are color photos. As I was perusing them, I began to think of how "we" look at ages past. In a way, we often view ages past as being in black and white.

This could have been taken near my grandparents' place.

Think about it.

Anytime before our own lifetimes, really, we view as being 'less than,' 'dumber,' 'less cultured.' Remember that silly movie, Pleasantville, where the main characters are transported into a black and white world, and they cause that world to turn color (by the introduction of sexuality)? Don't "we" do the same? We view ages past through a black and white spectrum that sees only backwardness. The age-old (literally) complaint: "Oh Dad! Oh Mom! We know so much better now!"

But the previous generation, and the one before it, and so on, did the exact same thing; especially as it concerned the family and home life. Growing your own garden and canning your own vegetables? So passe! The 'in' thing is to buy already processed food! Breastfeeding your baby? How peasant-like! The best food is one that's scientifically made up! (Or like the doctor told my mom with her first baby, "Don't breastfeed your baby. The best thing to do is to go to the store and get ice cold milk and feed that to your baby.")  Reading with your family? So uncultured! The best education is watching TV! Teaching your children at home? How will they ever socialize? Best send them away to school!

  Or even further back, to the so-called "Dark Ages", to the "barbarians" of ages past. Go all the way back, to as far back as there is time, and you will probably find someone saying, "Oh, they just didn't know any better then!"

Fortunately, it seems like some are learning that past generations weren't quite so unsophisticated after all. Why, they just might be right about some things! For example, what about how the pyramids were built? It wasn't by dummies! And I think we're just now finding out that perhaps processed food, that was really sold to us by advertisers, isn't as good for us as we've been led to believe. And perhaps staying close to home isn't an impossible ideal for only a few, but a way of life to get back to...to stop separating ourselves from our spouses and our children with separate interests and lives, and to start living and behaving as a cohesive family unit.

We've always known some eternal truths:
1. There is a God, who created everything.
2. Some actions are always morally wrong.
3. You will die from this earthly existence.

(4. And after Jesus Christ came as man, and died for our salvation, we know that truth as well.
5. You will eternally live - somewhere, depending on your actions in this present, mortal life.)

These truths span the ages past and the ages to come. So the next time you catch yourself thinking or saying, "Well, they didn't know any better back then" - catch yourself and ask what future generations will say about your generation.