Letter to the editor: Understanding can make for new 'good old days'

If we’re ever going to have constructive dialogs about the changes facing America today, our younger and older generations need to try harder to understand each other.

For example, when us older folks say that we sometimes yearn for “the good old days,” no, we don’t mean we want the return of slavery like some younger proponents of social change are quick to accuse. Neither do we want women to become second-class citizens.

We seniors have lived though a number of major changes and managed to adjust pretty darned well. If we’ve complained about things, well, some of the adjustments have been pretty difficult. But we’ve managed to get through the changes imposed by wars and recessions and depressions without getting into fights about it with the younger generation. Maybe that’s because the younger generation was usually busy fighting and struggling along with us.

Today it seems that some young folks are too quick to get riled up and ready to fight about, of all things, our acceptance of change! In their own words, let’s just cool it.

When all is said and done, us old folks will have managed to adjust to whatever changes are good for our country. And meanwhile, if we sometimes express a desire for those less-contentious “old days,” how ‘bout cutting us some slack? Down the road, these times of change will be your “old days.” And, if we can all manage to adjust to them in a more civil manner, they could even become your own “good old days.”

Ed Collins

West Newton