I am not a fan of emails which bemoan our modern society and look back at a simpler, better yesteryear. As attractive as the past may seem, memories conveniently forget such ugly aspects as polio, smallpox, racism, sexism, censorship, pressures to conform, the cold war and numerous other wars.
There has been such an email circulating called The Paradox of Our Time.
It has the objections mentioned above and then some. Philosophically it is a load of rubbish. It suggests, by juxtaposing images, that we have lost values and spirituality and that as a result we have also lost our way. The implicit suggestion is that if we return to those lost values and matters of the spirit, things will be all right. It’s short, sweet and simple, and suits our modern lifestyle of wanting things quick and packaged. (Shit! Now I'm doing it myself!)
George Carlin, who is often attributed as the author, has called it “ a sappy load of shit”, which is probably an accurate summation.
