The Good Old Days
By Murray Stahl Nov.2014

I ran into this writing on 1955 recently and thought it so very true. When I was looking at it I remembered one of the quotes of the Greek philosopher Socrates that I think of whenever someone waxes poetic about the “good old days.” He was born in 469B.C. and this quote truly proves that the more things change the more they stay the same.

Socrates thoughts on youth, “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

Now lets fast forward to 1955,
“I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible To buy a week's groceries for $20.00.”

“Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.”

“If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter for a pack is just ridiculous.”

“Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?”

“If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, Nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store. “

“When I first started driving, Who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon.. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.”

“I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more..Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying “DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND”, It seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it now”.

“I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas.”

“Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.”

“I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.”

“It's too bad things are so tough nowadays.. I see where a few married women are having to work outside of the home to make ends meet.”

“It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.”

“I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign car business.”

“Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress.”

“The drive-in, drive-up restaurant is convenient in nice weather, But I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.”

“There is no sense going to New York City or Toronto anymore for a weekend, It costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.”

“No one can afford to be sick anymore, At $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.”

“If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a haircut, forget it.”
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Here’s a few more of Socrates’ thoughts to ruminate on:
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

“By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”

“If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.”

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”

And so it goes.