Is Society Really That Terrible Today?

 Great day to wake up and shovel snow.....said no one ever. Seriously though, it felt good to get up, stretch a bit and take care of some snow on the ground, it can be quite riveting. A lot of people today talk about how bad our society is as a whole and how back in the day, things were better. Some of these same people are those "make America great again" types that just never caught on. Yes there are pros and cons, rights and wrongs with how society has evolved or devolved in some cases but is it really that terrible?

Societies rise and fall all the time and we won't be an exception. Yes social media has it's fair share of issues when it comes to people of certain varieties but let me ask you a question....For those who like to cry MAGA or think society was better during a certain decade, do you really want to go back to a time where women couldn't vote? Go back to a decade where soda was in ads that featured babies, doctors telling people to smoke to lose weight, where a woman was practically a slave to a man, where someone with different skin couldn't or didn't have the choice to sit in an empty seat in the front on a bus, where a "just say no" campaign never statistically worked and drugs were running rampant? That's more than just one question I get it.

Not every kid is shooting up a school, not every attention monger is on social media and not every celeb or pro athlete is an asshole or does drugs. We have become so angry with what others do that we forget that this isn't the only time in history where people wanted attention, where a person with great influence actually did something good and an athlete is celebrated for his accomplishments, not what he did outside of his chosen sport. Society today does have problems and there should be accountability for sure but do we really have to hold those accountable for even trying to do something decent like I don't know actually showed kindness and compassion? 

I think the real issues are not always in Black & White. Everyone isn't always protesting about something in their community but everyone does have a story no matter how boring or extreme and some people go down a wrong path, some thrive and become successful but no matter how you put it, there will be others who want to destroy someone's way of life for god knows what reason. Society as a whole isn't perfect, neither was any society anywhere at any time, it's flawed, it's crude and downright awful at times but there are great times too, places where people take care of each other regardless of your background. 

Now, are there a bunch of dumbasses living among us?  Of course, you can't have a society without a bunch of morons roaming around, sometimes they can make things entertaining but more often than not, they teach us lessons that we don't always realize like what not to do and what lines you don't cross regardless of the circumstance because it is important to realize what really matters. Not everyone survives that but what doesn't survive, something that comes along will, it can be a vicious cycle but also some beauty comes out of it depending on what it is. 

When I was growing up in California, I saw crazy things go down and been around alcoholism, survived an earthquake, survived meningitis, seen what people are like on drugs and observed some really shady dealings. Been around kids of all shapes and sizes and while some I knew lived great lives, others had very toxic people around them and went down dark paths and knew a couple people who've killed themselves. Seeing and being around some of that, you'd think I would be another statistic and go down a path of drinking like many I knew, getting into drugs and all that, well I didn't and there were times in my life I thought about it but something never kicked in me to drink like a fish or smoke like a chimney or do enough drugs to not care about the world around me. I've seen terrible things in society but I never lost sight of what amazingly awesome things happen in society as well. It doesn't make me special or anything, just that I do understand where someone is coming from at times.

Not everyone has it easy growing up in various societies and communities no matter where you are whether it's a rural area, conservative, liberal or whatever. Deep down, some of us will choose life in a very different way than what statistics say and others naturally or forcefully go down roads that very few will ever climb out of. Make your choices and do what works best for you and the people around you. Do the best to your abilities to be there for someone and show compassion until there's a reason not to be and protect each other. Societies rise and fall all the time and very rarely has there ever been a society that wasn't divided in some form. It takes work but at best, live your best life and don't try to destroy someone else's because it's not in your bubble.