Do you remember?

 

 Do you remember?

A lot of wonderful conversations begin with a question. Do you remember? Strangely, two people who were in the same place at the same time often remember two different things. I never believed it until they proved it to me beyond any shadow of a doubt. Sadly, we tend to use what we remember to shape the future.

I watched a video showing a Postman some years back. Do any of you remember the postman? It was a person who walked from house to house delivering the mail. He had a simple job, but everyone knew him. He also knew the entire community and could tell you if Mrs. Johnson two blocks down is doing OK or needs help. He knew who was in love with whom or if someone was having an affair. I still remember that we all had a mailbox by the door and if we missed the mail carrier, we checked the box over and over.

Another was the milkman. Most people didn’t have a fridge and fresh milk was delivered to the “Milk shoot”. Another place where people met was the Barber Shop or its equivalent for ladies. This was the place where people waited together and discussed local politics and important stuff. If you wanted to know who has the best chance of becoming the next Mayor, you went for a haircut.

Every few blocks, there was a grocery store, a butcher shop, and a vegetable store. No one in their right mind would dream of hitching up horses or starting a car to shop for everyday needs. Bigger places had specialty stores, like a candy store, sewing, and notions or even a clothing store, often together with a seamstress and a tailor. There was a shoemaker, mostly for repairs, but he could “build” a new pair of shoes.

The guys met during the day at the garage or mechanic shop and later at the tavern. Money was at the local bank, not on a plastic card, and the Post Office was a serious government institution, not a tool of Amazon. Most places had a local newspaper or two, plus a community bulletin board. The newspaper had comments not only about local events but also about the rest of the country and the world. They reflected local opinions and sometimes formed them. Their integrity was important. That’s why often there were two or more.

Rightly or wrongly, people were often attached to their family groups. One cared about the family name. On Sunday, they would show up at church wearing their “Sunday’s Best” and marched in to the sound of bells. That was a community. After service, friends would frequent local restaurants or coffee shops, and plans were made for the coming week.

It was families, communities, towns, and cities that formed societies. I remember from history lessons that the Crowsnest Pass was known for miner’s strikes and for being a Red Place. Here was a center of the Communist Party of Canada, and some street names commemorated it.  

Strangely, history doesn’t remember this beautiful place as a revolution cradle but as a place where people fought and won human rights. It was a place that broke prohibition.

Things began to change. We started to value money more than community. Didn’t want to pay ten cents more for an item available in a store close to home or pay more for a car made in Canada. All the little businesses went under to be replaced by big business from somewhere else. Each time there was a saving to begin with and less service or community. The factories moved overseas and you could no longer get shoes made for you. You couldn’t get freshly baked bread either.

Took a while to realize that all those little business owners were friends and neighbours and they moved to city jobs. The streets became empty and parking lots got bigger. For a while, big stores employed friends and neighbours, but they went under as things came by mail. All that time, fewer people around us could make a decent living and others did in other countries. They came as tourists to look at our ruined communities.

We paid a heavy price for getting more for less and shopping where the lowest price is the law. We pay less, but we have no service. We don’t know the store owners and they don’t come to our church anymore. Most places don’t have a little newspaper discussing local affairs and the average wage is barely enough to live on. Hardly any of our kids live close to home and when they get holidays, they “travel” making other countries rich. We end up in Care Homes where someone counts how many bites we eat. Everywhere is “self serve” and we chose which garbage we will throw out. The packaging, delivery of what we buy and the marketing cost more than the items. Our average income ends up in the landfill heap while the quality of life diminishes. In the city, you don’t even know who lives three doors down.

I miss the postman and the neighbours who used to drop by for coffee. I loved knowing my neighbours and paying for their work as they paid for mine. Now I see us moving to work from home. Immediately home prices go up.

We allowed the market to rule and depleted our resources, poisoned our environment, and isolated ourselves.

I think that the experiment of governments running everything (Communism,) didn’t work. The experiment of the Market dictating everything (pure Capitalism,) didn’t work either. The natural way of family, community, and a little bit of both is the best. We do best living in the balance.

It’s time to reevaluate how we want to be and head that way. It won’t work unless we decide that it’s the best and believe that we can do it. Like all things, it will start with a seed and grow if we help it.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.