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Question: Could you have lived 700 years ago!?
Do you remember when you, your spouse or family built the house in which you lived!? Thus, no one worried about being evicted from or losing their home, because such concepts as “rent” and “mortgage” did not exist!. A time when debt did not exist in fiscal terms!. When one needn’t worry about their vehicle breaking down!. When men and women worked hard to hunt and grow their own food, as well as make their own clothing!. A time when war had a purpose, and was fought with real heroism; it was not as easy as aiming a piece of metal at someone, but actual man-to-man combat!.
Do you remember!? No!? Neither do I, but I wish I could say I shared in the experience!.
Now, we are living in a world in which people expect instant gratification!. The life I described above is a long-forgotten past, a myth to the modern world!. Hard work, itself, is nearly an obsolete concept!. Even I take so much for granted; I don’t think I could live as such, today, because I rely heavily on things, such as running water, electricity, a roof over my head, and a vehicle!. Life is hard, but imagine life without the amenities we have, today!. Most of us would not survive…Heck, most of us would not survive the times our grandparents and great-grandparents lived through!.
What an amazing life to imagine, though! Can you imagine it!? How I wish I could recapture it, the essence, to see our world come together as one community, once more, helping thy neighbor!. Where money is not the center of the universe!. What about trading and bartering!? They did much of that generations ago, too, and it worked!. Have we, as independent nations, isolated ourselves so much over the span of said generations!? We have the technology to communicate with people from other countries, and yet…We are divided, culturally, physically, and mentally!.
Society changed, and we changed with society…Or, did we change and force society to follow!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I WISH I could live like that, but with much more modern thinking and knowledge!. I always ask people what the heck they would do if they suddenly lost all civilization has to offer, I don't think most would make it!. I know people who refuse to eat anything but Kraft Dinner!.!. I've said before What would you do if tomorrow you were lost in the bush and had to eat whatever you could find!? Most have no answer!.
Society has become so WEAK! People can't live without their fast food, cell phones, cars, clothes, money, etc etc!. People are so picky about food it makes me want to shake them, what if they didn't have a choice!? I think much of our society today creates people who are weak, spoiled and decadent!. They couldn't rub two sticks together to make a fire, half the women I know can't even lift 20lbs!.!. it's pretty sad that we as a species have degenerated into such weak and helpless creatures unable to provide for ourselves!.
For me, it's almost an insult to our ancestors and the hardships they endured for us to waste all that strength away in modern convenience!. So many forget what we as a species have been through, what we are capable of!. Stonehenge was built without a single piece of technology, we used our smarts to feed our families and make clothes, homes, art, furniture and so much more!. Today you'd be hard pressed to find someone who knows what a washboard is and how to use it!. It's too bad!.!. alot of people are going to drop dead if civilization collapses!.!. because they don't know the first thing about living with the land anymore!. Www@QuestionHome@Com
It is possible my genetic information contains biological material which has stood the trials of time for far longer than a mere 700 years!.
Even if that genetic material is only a copy of a copy, it is still a copy of an truly Ancient entity known to us only as humans!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
We built our home!.
In another sense, we're also responsible for our current situation with, as you said, mortgages and rent and evictions!. And in that sense,
we also built our own home!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Wow, miss those good old times when the majority of people died before thirty years of age!. When families had 6 to 8 kids because most would die in childhood!. When leeches were a medical cure!. When the plague would wipe out everyone in a town!. When if your hurt yourself you could die slowly and painfully!. When people had no say in how they were governed!. When most were servile serfs to some master!. When one could do back breaking labor, from dawn to dust, out in the fields!. When the locust could consume your entire farm!. When most could not read!.
Your imagination of how great the past was is a nice fantasy but still a fantasy!. We are more connected culturally, physically and mentally than any other time in history!. It's not perfect but guess what, it never was!. Www@QuestionHome@Com
You are talking about a Utopian dream!. Debt did not exist!? People were sold into slavery for debt!. Won't happen today!. We did not change that much!. We are a product of our times!.
We could very easily lived back in your Utopian world, since we would know nothing about the material things that you address!. Life was not easy, infant mortality was shocking!. Disease was rampant!. Remember the Black Death killed almost 70% of Europe!.
A true historian will tell you that war was not glamorous, and that isolation was a product of the times!. Trading and bartering!? What if you did not have anything!? Get mighty hungry!.
No, that would not be my ideal way to live, but I am a realist!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Oddly enough; I was reading The Tragedy of Antigone today and began to wonder what it would be like to live in- Say, 440 B!.C!. They had the luxury of canal wayss, of modern markets!. They had crank-run "electronics", and the Scientific achievments of their times were, needless to say, incredible!. However- I assume it would have been as tumultuous of a time as our own!. It's the same deal, honestly!. Just a bigger package than theirs!.
And a note to those who believe we've lost our gusto; Ever think about the people who've designed our modern conveniences!? There is little difference between building your life with a hammer or with a motherboard, save the physical labor required!.Www@QuestionHome@Com