In my last post, the truck convoy people were continuously shrieking about freedom. They wanted freedom never recognizing that they already had freedom. Their wants about freedom tended to revolve around selfish personal things. By their actions they seemed to want the right to bad behavior without consequences. And they had no end of idiotic thing that they could do. They took sandwiches from a homeless kitchen. They urinated and defecated all over the place. They made tremendous noise. They made a general nuisance of themselves. It seemed that they were very creative in coming up with disgusting behavior.
They had large expensive vehicles that they had no problems to run and not use them to gain income.
Now I know that comparisons are difficult to make. We can't go back. It's always a bit about comparing apples to oranges. Or as I have found out lately comparing the various senior living facilities.
Now it makes me laugh when I think back to my childhood in the early forties, Yes, that's right. The early forties. The second World War was taking place. There were all kinds of restrictions. There was rationing. Some products were not available at all. My parents were young. They had very little money. Gasoline was rationed so much of the time we went to town with the horses. We couldn't buy any more gas.
The photo shows me with my two siblings . I believe we were 2,3 and 4. All of our clothing was donated! Nothing new on us! A great aunt in the states sent several parcels a year. Our Grandma also found used clothing for us. Clothing wasn't rationed . We didn't have enough money to buy new clothing.
Candy could not be bought during the war. Dad loved candy. After the war the first candy Dad could buy was a bag of marshmallows. He brought them home and gave us each a marshmallow to enjoy. We didn't know what they were. We played with them on the floor as blocks. They got dirty and inedible.
We did not find these things to be hardships. Mom and dad wanted the war to end so that we would be safe. We didn't miss what we didn't know about.
I can't help but think that the freedom convoy people are very spoiled babies.
Oh wow Red! Thanks for that story. My Mom had flour sack underwear in Oklahoma (not much need for flannel ones that far south,) during the depression. Your impression of marshmallows is cute. I didn't realize candy was so scare during WW2. I'd heard about GIs giving candy to warn torn kids overseas and being dropped from planes, if I'm remembering the story correctly.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the truckers are spoiled. Covid isn't as bad, and they have the freedom to complain. They need a few months experiencing the rations of WW2.
On comparing senior living facilities, of course be careful. Having visited many hospice patients in them I found that the fancier and prettier they were, the fewer staff they had to genuinely take care of the patients. All of them don't have enough staff, a problem for years. Their base "rent" is double that if you count how much they charge for every moment to assist you, every trip to help you to the bathroom, bathe, do meals to rooms. One even kicked you out if you could no longer get to the dining room on your own. Sad.
Linda in Kansas
I think each age and location has at times experienced hardship. Most were just glad to be alive and come through hard times. I find these facilities very hard to compare, I think we have a more complete program with a price that covers most things. I will stay in my own home for as long as possible.
DeleteI love that photo! Is that you on the far right? I always enjoy hearing about your childhood. I understand what you say about not missing what you didn't know about. My mother used to say the same thing as she grew up during the Depression. They were very poor but the kids always found a way to play and have fun with simple things they found.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it they say, "the more you have, the more you want."
DeleteThere is of course another convoy waiting to get across the border into Poland. Women and children are huddled in the cold and their menfolk are being told to go back to fight. I know which convoy I'd prefer to be in.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Ukraine situation will be solved for a long time.
DeleteI find it interesting that the people screaming the loudest about freedoms are so willing to run rough shod over everyone else's.
ReplyDeleteYes, so you know that they just want less restriction on their actions.
DeleteHello Red,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you, they are acting like spoiled babies. Take care, enjoy your day and week ahead.
We really need some leadership and action.
DeleteWhat they wanted was privilege, and I still don’t understand the angst over getting a needle. Of course, it wasn’t really about that after all, and I don’t think most of them really knew what it was about.
ReplyDeleteMost of them were rabble rousers and thought they could have some fun.
DeleteWhat a great photo of you and your siblings. You look happy and healthy! It is interesting to hear that something as simple as a marshmallow can be a novelty. Not so simple a thing back then!
ReplyDeleteIf we were to ask Ukrainians how their freedom has been taken, the answer would be a bit different from that of the “freedom fighters” in Canada.
It's a matter of comparison.
DeleteI hear you, Red. It seems hard to believe how much we have and how little some people appreciate it. We are like spoiled kids, I guess.
ReplyDeleteWe do have a lot and don't appreciate it.
DeleteYou are exactly right, Red.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew some answers for this situation.
DeleteI agree. I think people have lost a lot of perspective, and there's also a diminished sense of responsibility to each other and to society. Nowadays it's all about me, me, me.
ReplyDeleteYou're quite right that many have become very self centered.
DeleteI agree with you, Red.
ReplyDeleteI know how you think as you've expressed it in many posts.
DeleteI bet they are going to wish they had all that fuel the convoy used. I wondered how they could afford to take time off from trucking to protest...apparently they were wealthy truckers or someone paid them. Yes of course it is their freedom to protest... I understand that...it just seemed a tad strange to me.
ReplyDeletethey raked in millions of dollars on internet funding pages.
DeleteI too clearly remember the Second World War Red. I am ninety in October. My brother was at Dunkirk and I remember it clearly.
ReplyDeleteMy wife, who was raised in Yorkshire, well remembers the shelters they had to go to when the bombers came over.
DeleteNone of us are free. We are all part of society. I hear you. Crazy people.
ReplyDeletethe convoy showed the very worst of behavior and had no understanding whatsoever.
DeleteI agree. I was born in 1944 and we lived on a little farm in Oregon where we raised most of our own food. Money was scarce. We didn't whine about what we didn't have, but we did have freedom.
ReplyDeletePutin is quoted as saying he can win because his people can out-suffer us. I fear there is truth in that. Now all we are hearing about is gas prices, and how it's the president's fault. Try ducking bombs and shells.
I wonder what our countries would do if we went to war. We would have a major fight amongst ourselves.
DeleteYou are right, Red. To many selfish people in the world today. They wouldn't know what to do if they suddenly ended up in Ukraine.
ReplyDeletethey would sit and argue with each other!
DeleteI agree with you about the those truckers. I was born in the early forties. I remember my grandmother mixing the little packet of yellow into the white oleomargerine, to make it look more like butter. I remember my mother reaching into her purse for her book of ration stamps and finding them lost. We went home without groceries.
ReplyDeleteThat is a sad story about losing the ration booklet.
DeleteWell said.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteHi Red, Another excellent post. I loved it when you said this, “We did not find these things to be hardships.” Isn’t it interesting that, when we were kids, we didn’t know what we were missing and there was no problem. As we get older, society/culture tells us we need more and more … like freedom to do anything and fancy cars. The advertisers tell us what we are missing. Is it any wonder why so many are so unhappy with life? The truckers protesting … they say their freedom is being taken away. The government is just trying to keep them alive. What good are freedoms if you are dead? John
ReplyDeleteYou raise some good points. Advertising is meant to make us want more. Money causes problems...not enough!
DeleteWell said! You already know how I feel :)
ReplyDeleteI was glad to see the end of the convoy. I came to absolutely despise them for what they did.
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh about your first experience with marshmallows! Your clothing might not have been new, but you all look very healthy and happy in that great photo. My mom made all my clothes until I graduated from high school. Once in a while my grandma or aunt bought us “boughten “ dresses and it was a real thrill.
ReplyDeleteI remember when my father-in-law told me about his childhood in the Depression. I grew up listening to my mother's stories from WWII. Spoiled? I think you're right there. We had a truck convoy in Washington, but they never got into the city, just rode around on 495 for several hours. Cars just kept weaving in and out and around them.
ReplyDeleteLovely post
ReplyDeleteI am sure that the vast majority of Canadian truckers are decent people who fully understood the reasons for COVID regulations. The protesting truckers in Ottawa were it seems rather like the mob who stormed the US Capitol in January 2021 - arrogant and ignorant.
ReplyDeleteWell said! My mother-in-law has shared her experiences during World War II. She mentioned the same things as you've written here.
ReplyDeletethere is a saying that " huger of the belly can be finished but hunger of the eyes cannot be"
ReplyDeletefreedom word has become in fashion though we all know that in today's world people are able to live far better lives as compared to those who lived few centuries ago .
when we are out of balance things get worst at any level . problem is not freedom ,it's attitude and attitude belongs to our inner vision not physical liberty .
my parents saw worst times when after partition two wars happened between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 ,there were only two issues food and survival .
people born in pampered era cannot understand miseries of restriction actually and nor they can value freedom