Five Things That Were Different Back In My Day

“For as long as there is not devotion to Shri Rama and the release of material desires, which are like an abode of grief, the living being should not expect to find welfare and peace of mind, even in a dream.” (Dohavali, 131)

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तब लगि कुसल न जीव कहुँ सपनेहुँ मन बिश्राम।
जब लगि भजत न राम कहुँ सोकधाम तजि काम ॥

taba lagi kusala na jīva kahu~ sapanehu~ mana biśrāma।
jaba lagi bhajata na rāma kahu~ sokadhāma taji kāma ॥

1. We used to walk to school

“Back in my day, we used to walk five miles to school. It was uphill both ways. Don’t try to be smart and question the logical accuracy. Just listen to what I say. Whether it snowed or it rained, we had to go. Our parents wouldn’t let us stay home. You kids today have no idea what responsibility is. That’s the way it was, and we liked it.”

2. We used to change the channel by hand

“Back in my day, we didn’t even have cable television. There was no such thing as a remote control. We had to get up from the sofa, approach the television set, and manually turn the dial. This was in the hope that we could find something interesting to watch. We had far less content available as compared to today, but we were so happy. That’s the way it was, and nobody complained.”

3. We used to play outside after school

“Back in my day, we used to play outside. If it was a weekend, we would be out there from morning until evening. We had so much fun. We didn’t sit inside and waste time that way. We didn’t have video games to destroy our ability to socialize with others. We would make up our own games. We could take a single ball and have fun for hours. You kids today have no idea what that is like.”

4. We used to memorize phone numbers

“Back in my day, you couldn’t look up information that easily. To call the information hotline meant spending money. We had something called the yellow pages, but that took some time to rummage through.

“Instead, we used to retain phone numbers in memory. This always came in handy. If we were ever in trouble, we could call home. We could call our friends. You kids today are so spoiled. You think just pressing a button is enough. What if your phone’s battery runs out? What are you going to do?”

5. We didn’t hide from other people

“Back in my day, we didn’t hide from other people. What kind of nonsense is this? You think you will be able to escape disease that way? Two weeks and then everything will be fine? You people are crazy.

“We used to roam about. We were polite in our dealings. We didn’t look at other people as suspects. We didn’t ask them to keep their space. We got diseases, for sure, but who doesn’t? You kids will never know.”

…

There is a common thread to the sentiments. Things are indeed different today, but what the person is highlighting is that nobody was necessarily worse off in the past. There was less in terms of progress of convenience and availability. Technology was not where it is today. There were increased hardships.

People not only tolerated, but thrived. The old person is saying that not only did the previous generation have less, but they were happier. They were more at peace. They could withstand adversity. They were tougher. They were not as distracted.

As the material world is a realm filled with dualities, arguments can be made for either side, but Bhagavad-gita provides a similar teaching. This is in relation to desire, which is known as kama. The more a person is able to keep desire in check, not indulging at every spark of a thought, the better chance they have of finding peace.

आपूर्यमाणम् अचल-प्रतिष्ठं
समुद्रम् आपः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत्
तद्वत् कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
स शान्तिम् आप्नोति न काम-कामी

āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī

“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.70)

Goswami Tulsidas teaches something similar. He says that material desire, kama, creates something like a land of grief, shokadhama. If we can renounce desire, then obviously the dhama will change in nature. But there is something else required. Giving up desire is not that easy.

The recommendation is to follow devotion to the Supreme Lord, who is known as Rama. Tulsidas says that without such devotion a person cannot hope to find welfare and happiness, even within a dream. This is because desire will remain. With desire comes the potential for failure. Anger, resentment, regret, wrath, bewilderment, and other negative conditions follow.

How do we handle the situation today? We have a lifetime’s worth of viewing pleasure available at our fingertips. We don’t even need a giant room to serve as a library. We do not have to get up to change the channel. We can sit back and intentionally throw away our ability to think, contemplate, and ponder the meaning to life.

The recommended implementation of dharma in the present age of Kali is sankirtana. This is the chanting of the holy names, such as within the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Live simply, to the best extent possible. Do just enough to stay fit and healthy. The remainder of the time can be spent in bhajana. Worship the Supreme Lord. Then, when the final act approaches, we can look back and tell the next generation that back in our day we worshiped God with everything we had, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

In Closing:

Whether better today or in the past,
Time still moving fast.

Such that life’s moments fleeting,
Urgent now the mission meeting.

That desperately seeking peace,
And from constant misery release.

Worship Rama in succession mount,
And at end happily days recount.