This clip lives rent-free in my head.
Nostalgia is a funny thing that is often clouded and susceptible to our fractured memories. I love to look back on my life, particularly my childhood, and recognize how blessed and privileged I’ve been. I wrote this after binge-watching The Wonder Years.
It’s Canadian Thanksgiving as I write this and so as I take time to be thankful it often leads me to think about not only my past but also the present. It may seem odd to think of our day and age as “the good old days”. Much of our attitudes and beliefs about the state of our world today is a product of the media, which we all agree comes at us too hard and too fast. Our brains were never designed to consume this much information, specifically information about issues and people and places that are so far beyond our individual purview. News and social media sites have discovered that rage sells and that collective rage has created a perception that the world is terrible and worse than ever.
Objectively, I don’t think that’s true. People like Steven Pinker have written extensively about this. Globally, we can see that the world has never been safer, medical advancements are allowing us to live longer, worldwide poverty is at an all-time low, and we are more inclusive as a society. I think the issue of inclusiveness and racism is interesting. We are certainly talking about it more today than ever and there is still more work to do. That said, we have and are making significant progress. I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Brad Baker about the state of Indigenous learning in Canada.
I don’t mean for this to be a dismissal of the issues of our day. As it’s often said, two things can be true. We have significant issues facing us that may indeed cause more damage and turmoil than any time in human history. But we are also experiencing some of the best things humans have ever had. As an educator, parent and grandparent I believe we have an obligation to provide hope and possibility. While much of that obligation is about looking ahead, let’s not lose sight of the joy and goodness of today. My delight project is but one way I’ve tried to see these days as the good old days. There are times when I hesitate to share my joy, knowing that not everyone is experiencing life in the same way. While I don’t want to be tone deaf to those who are struggling with real challenges, I think many of us become victims of a narrative that simply isn’t true or at least are very one-sided. I have good friends in the education space whose message is consistently telling us how bad things are in education. While I’m on board with efforts to make schools better, I can’t help but look at how many caring and thoughtful leaders and classroom teachers are working tirelessly to make schools great places to spend a day.
Maybe one day we’ll tell our grandkids about this era—about how we could talk to our phones, work from anywhere, and watch any concert, lesson, or cat video on demand. Maybe they’ll laugh at how primitive we were. Or maybe, if we’re lucky, they’ll envy us a little—for being here when possibility still felt raw and the future was something we were helping to invent.
Yes, there’s plenty to fix. But gratitude doesn’t require denial. It just asks us to notice. And if we can do that—if we can see the wonder in our own messy moment—then maybe we’re already living in the good old days.
What do you think? Add a comment below or start a conversation.