People sometimes wax nostalgic about the good old days. In the U.S. they often mean the era between the Civil War and WWI. Mark Twain called that "the Gilded Age." It was a time of corruption and a growing gap between the social classes similar to our own. People who feel nostalgic about it should read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-Old-Days-Terrible/dp/0394709411 I have never fallen for the illusion that the past was better than the present, or that people were more moral, or more rational in the past, because I have read many history books, and many books written in the past. There was an interesting television show years ago, "The 1900 House." ( http://www.pbs.org/wnet/1900house/) I have lived in houses older than that, both in the U.S. and in Japan, with electricity but without plumbing, heat or screens to keep the mosquitoes out. I can probably handle that better than most people. My wife remarked that the 1900 House was more comfortable and had more modern conveniences than the house she grew up in. I have done manual farm labor, picked oranges, and I know how to cut and spit wood, although I do not recall ever riding a horse. So, I have some idea what it was like in the past. I sure would not want to go there for more than a few months. Nor would I want to live in the third world. Unfortunately for me, last week and yesterday I was given a 6-hour tour of 19th century dentistry, albeit with some (but not enough!) Novocaine. I had to have two crowns removed. I will spare you the details but it involved repeated doses of hot water followed by ice, followed by what felt like a jackhammer. It turns out Novocaine does not do much for thermal and physical shock. Of course this is not remotely as bad as actual 19th century dentistry, or for that matter what it is like today having a serious disease such as cancer. It is over and I am fine, thanks to Ibuprofen. It was just a sample of what it was like. A taste; a reminder. In a sense this happened to me because I am a visitor from the past, doomed in this case to return whence I came. We all are from the past, but I grew up in in a time and place where the water was not fluoridated, they could not do much for malocclusion, and dentists cleaned your teeth once a year with inadequate methods. I would have lost all of my teeth long ago were it not for modern dentistry. I am thankful. People who think the past was some sort of golden age should be forced to undergo 6 hours of this treatment. Along the same lines, for people who think that war is glorious, I wish we could send them back to the trenches of First World War, 100 years ago this year. I would put them there for just five minutes. Even if they were not actually present, if they could just smell that, hear that, or experience the terror of it for a few minutes, it would cure them for life. I would do that for everyone who favors war at the drop of a hat. I would also refer them to Twain's "War Prayer:" http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/making/warprayer.html - Jed
