Poll: Compared with 50 years ago, life for you is..........

[sinkspur]

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I was -10 50 years ago so... better?

[Cripplecreek]

Seems like they should discount all those between 18-49 who voted. 

[skeeter]

Well, I'm making more money now.

[geronl]

 

I'm 44....

[Frank Cannon]

Better. I'm alive now. I wasn't then.

[ABX]

Existential as it was long before I was born. I think in general, it is hard to say 50 years ago was better than today in most ways. Today, we have access to the entire world at our finger tips. We are healthier. We have more choices. I believe compared to the 1960s (yes, the 1966 was 50 years ago), we are even safer.

Many of the complaints we have now are trivial compared to the complaints we had then.


While we have more information at our finger tips, the big fault is what we are doing with that information. We have more information but we are losing our ability to discern and some of the basic intelligence traits that one usually defines setting apart the smart from the average. Without discernment and judgment, we aren't intelligent, we are just repositories of data.

[Cripplecreek]

Me about 50 years ago. I still wear glasses.

[mystery-ak]

Better....I'm still alive...

[montanajoe]

Objectively my life is better in the material sense. I have more money, have access to better health care, material things ect. My life turned out to be far more interesting and satisfying than I ever imagined it would be back then. By almost any measure, materially, spiritually, emotionally, I am far better off than I was back then and it amazes me I have survived everything that came my way and not only survived, but thrived regardless of where in the world I have ended up.

But... I sometimes l long for the days of my youth. It's not so much that life was better then, it's more of a recognition of how short our time on this orb is and a wish there was more time.

So I voted neither/the same...

[jedidah]

The country and society is in far worse shape, but I have the advantage of looking back on a long life and a family that turned out well  --  no credit to government, all to God and responsible living.

It's really a silly question.  Everyone is in a far different stage of life now than 50 years ago, so how can you realistically compare yourself then with yourself now?

[catfish1957]

1966?   I was focused on baseball cards, pond fishing, comic books, and staying out of trouble with my parents.

Political?  A little.  I remember LMAO at this at the time.....

[Sanguine]

Better in some ways.  I wasn't old enough to work 50 years ago, but I do remember when I did start working I was paid 1/2 of what the guy from work I was dating was making.  Women couldn't fill some job titles, so it was easy for the management to justify not paying us much.

Some other things were much, much better.  Less regulation, less of a safety net.  But, family structure was beginning to be broken down and there was a clear societal divide between the "establishment" and the not. 

[Free Vulcan]

I wasn't to be around for a couple of more years in 1966, but still I've seen the steady loss of freedom, family structure, and culture since those times. Micro-economically and in other ways things are better, but the price is steep.

[raml]

Back in 1966 I had a 2 yr old daughter and a husband and life was great. We didn't have a lot of money yet but were doing all right for our ages. We had a great life my parents were still alive and my siblings were all living close by. I still lived in Michigan and had all my friends from both me and my husband's high school and college living close by too and we had great times together. My life was at it's best and a lot of good and bad awaited me in my future but I was an innocent and young women back then wish I was still able to say that. There was a lot of turmoil in the world but then there always is. We had Vietnam where i lost a few friends and racial unrest but it still was a more innocent time for me and I miss that.

[GtHawk]

I was ten and life was pretty good, of course I couldn't travel around for miles like I did before the Watts riots, but from my perspective things were simple. If I had realized how hard my parents worked to give me the nice life I had, I would have appreciated it more. As for now? Well I have a great family, but aside from my Mom that is only my siblings, spouses, children and grandchildren there are not many of us. Economically life sucks, but I know there are a great many that share that problem.

[NavyCanDo]

Today I live a quality of life never dreamed of when I was 7. But if I could go back a relive those magical years I would  without question. I was happy and enjoying life as a care free kid. I think my biggest wories of the day was who would control the one TV when school was out, me or my sister, which could mean me watching Gilligan, or her watching the Flying Nun.