Of nostalgia and men.

Close to this time last year, I wrote this: "I enjoyed this article about nostalgia. I think the author keeps a good, level ground when discussing it and its virtues. Here is an excerpt I liked: '… Each generation should take what was best from the generation before it and add it as a brick in the foundation of the culture, discarding the dross and ever stacking together the lessons we’ve learned, the things that have really worked best. This way the culture becomes stronger and stronger over time.'" Upon further reflection, I've realized that, sadly, what our culture is more likely to do is gather the dross, protect it in any way possible, and hand it on to the next generation. These Curators of Crap seem hell-bent on removing what is good about culture (God, civility, etc) and distilling it down to a black, tarry mess. And it's a sad thing to see. Gone are the days of chivalry (I once got in trouble for opening the door for a woman) and grace. True, there are those out there who hold onto these ideals, but the number is dwindling. It is based on that idea that it's easy to see the appeal of the "old ways" when men were men and women were ladies. They *were* good times. Hopefully some of us can preserve these old ideals and hand them down. There may yet be some gentlemen left in another 200 years.