Drudgery

Each generation brings with it something new.

I am the post WWII generation in which my parents, the entire country joined together to defeat an enemy of mankind, Adolf Hitler.

They sacrificed so that others would live, free from fear and in peace and hopefully, be remembered for what they did, what they accomplished.

They gave their all so that you would appreciate being able to live in a free society.

Does anyone teach this in schools anymore?

There are many today who could care less about this part of our history because they have been indoctrinated in caring only about themselves and what's in it for them, that the government 'owes' them something and when they don't get it, they march and torch, vandalize, slander, rob, insult, humiliate or worse.      

My parents grew up in austere conditions with no electricity, no running water, only wood heat to stay warm, milk and bread was a regular meal and having to walk miles to school as there were no school buses to pick them up.

They lived lives of drudgery at times with little or no help from others, being taught to stand on their own two feet, do what needed to be done, not to complain and be grateful for what they had.

They learned responsibility, hard work and enjoyed the simple things in life.

They believed in G-d and went to church.

There was very little poverty and if one was in need the local church or family would see to it that their needs were met.

There were very little babies born out of wedlock; families were there to support and help keep everyone together and intact.

We didn't have the federal government telling women that it was their right to choose to abort a baby as any child that was unplanned would be cared for by family members and others.

There were no flash mobs or Black Lives Matter or rampant crime nor disrespect for law enforcement or the military.

We were well aware that without these people who chose to protect us and lay down their lives, if necessary, that our lives would be much harder and much more dangerous.

We appreciated them.

Today, things have changed dramatically in this country.

We have groups of people who believe that they are owed everything; that they are entitled to this and that and not even willing to take a job because they believe it is 'just' payback for past grievances.

We have leaders and organizations who pander to them, giving them a platform and voice to shout out indignities and obscenities, encouraging them to 'vent' their anger on communities and law enforcement, take to the streets rampaging and bullying because 'others' are to blame for their plight.

We have crime infested cities and communities and drugs infecting and affecting old people, young people children and entire families.  

Many of our military men and women are on food stamps; our veterans are being denied service for their OTJ injuries and many are needlessly dying while waiting months and years for care.

And yet others want what is owed to them because they've been taught that they are special, they are entitled.

BS.

We had better turn things around in this country because, quite frankly, I don't believe we have much time left.

Especially when I ponder who's in office.  

Yes, we are a compassionate nation and yes we are willing to help others but not to the extent that we give continue to put others first who have no right to be 'first' in line while we dishonor and ignore those who have given their all for the rest of us.

Bring me back to the 'good ole days' when drudgery was commonplace, when drudgery and I would gather chicken eggs and drudgery and I would ponder the meaning of life together.

When drudgery would accompany me and made me buckle down, wrestling with my homework, hungrily staring at a glass of milk with two sugar cookies just out of my reach, when drudgery would help me pass the time as we walked together to school, when drudgery would sit next to me while Dad drove the old jalopy to Grandma's house, my mouth salivating because I could hardly wait, knowing there was a warm, homemade slice of apple pie waiting for me as I continued to count the telephone poles outside the car as we drove.

Through drudgery we are able to arrive at solutions, work through our problems, and ponder the meaning of life.

There's a lot to be said for the word drudgery, don't you think?

Drudgery has solved a lot of problems but then, today, in this technological age, nobody has the time to experience drudgery let alone even contemplating its good points.

We're too full of ourselves and too much on the go, our excuse is we don't have the time, we believe we have all the answers anyway so why waste our time bothering to contemplate anything?

If true, then we might as well remove the word drudgery from the dictionary, remove that part of history when men were honored because of great deeds and women were happy being mothers and homemakers.

Is it possible we can erase from our memories and history books that part of our history that actually contributed to making this a great nation?

And the answer is....