Mayberry, North Carolina and its citizens may all have been fictitious, but there are many aspects of The Andy Griffith Show which were very real.
Although the characters portrayed on the Andy Griffith Show did not really exist, the values and ideals they represented were very real. People today are searching for many things. We hunger for meaning to many aspects of our lives. As time passes on we readily accept many of the changes in our world as normal results of progress in society. But I wonder what we have had to give up to make room for this so called progress. Mayberry was not a very progressive community when compared to today's standards. The people of Mayberry did not have the modern conveniences that we have today, nor did they have large homes and two cars in every driveway. They did not own vacation property nor did they travel throughout the country on extended vacations. Upscale restaurants serving exotic cuisine were not to be found in Mayberry. There were, however, many things found there that people today would love to have. Mayberry had safe streets and parks where people of all ages could use freely without fear of strangers or gangs making threats or offering drugs. Mayberry had neighbors who knew each others names and who cared about one another and whose doors were always open during times of need or just plain fellowship. Mayberry had gentle people who enjoyed the simple pleasures of life - sitting on the porch watching their neighbors walking to church -joining friends on a Saturday afternoon for a Founder's Day picnic - working together to help a neighbor in need - or walking along Meyers Lake skipping rocks. Mayberry's children were the really lucky ones. They lived in a place and in a time where the word "camp" meant something you did in your backyard with your best friend or out in the woods with your father. It did not mean being sent away to learn basketball, baseball, soccer, softball, football, volleyball, and many other things that would be taught by strangers. The children knew what it was like to walk to and from school with their best friends without fear. It meant going home to milk and cookies served by an anxiously awaiting mother. It didn't mean another two hours of daycare before you could go home to your own house. It meant playing outside after school rather than sitting in front of a computer or playing video games. It meant playing Run Sheep Run with your friends after dark. Anyone who has ever lived in a small town can identify with all the people and places in Mayberry. Small town America is not the same as it once was. Gone are the innocent and natural people who once lived there. Gone are the safe streets and homes with unlocked doors. Progress has brought about many changes to our world and many of them have been good. However, with progress, one always loses certain things.. And unfortunately, some of the things that we have lost were very important ideals and values that made our country the great place that it is. Thankfully Mayberry has not changed. Time has stood still for Andy, Opie, Aunt Bee, Barney, and all the other wonderful folks who we love. They will always be what they have always been- kind, warm, and loving people who bring so much happiness and joy to our stressful lives. Kenneth G. Anderson 2906 May Street Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 715-839-8470 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://mail.wbmutbb.com/mailman/listinfo/wbmutbb_wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
