I remember the days when the neighbor next door used to ask my parents for a small loan until he gets the wages. With the appearance of the new banking system promoting overdraft and credit cards - it stopped. The neighbor no longer needed my parents. for the loan.
I remember well the days when our street was lively and colorful, with voices and movement. And then, it gradually became deserted, as people went inside to watch TV and work on the PC. Interaction was maintained at nuclear family level mainly.
(One evening, I stumbled on the pavement and fell badly on my right shoulder. I was unable to get up. There was no soul around to help me stand on my feet, It was then that I realized the severity of the changes we were undergoing).
Next, people started to look for bigger apartments with more rooms. Each child in his own room, with his laptop and mobile phone. At this stage, interaction between family members got disrupted too.
I so miss the youngsters' politeness and respect for older people of those days! Now, I sometimes can't believe my eyes and ears. They don't even fear the old advice given by parents: 'If you wish to reach that old person's age, you better behave yourself!' It makes them smile or even laugh.
How does the song go? : "those were the days my friend/ we thought they'd never end". Well, apparently they do end. And now we all talk about the big change, Climate Change and the Glasgow summit conference.
It gives us a lot to talk and think about. It's just that I 'm not sure we've got enough time for it. It's kind of urgent. We should better concentrate on what we can do - planning rescue and survival - not on what we cannot do - preventing Nature's disasters.