I Was Thinking — They Ought To...

People my age enjoy the fellowship of others that share our developmental stage in life and often will sit around having coffee and discuss the state of the world. Since most of us have seven or more decades of experience to draw on, we usually have opinions on the way things “ought to be.”
Seldom is there a lull in the conversation when no one has an opinion to express. Usually there are as many opinions as there are people sitting around the table. Discussions vary widely based on the makeup of the group entering the discourse. The topics a group of Red Hat ladies ponder may differ widely from a group of retired farmers.
The discussion of my group of retired teachers will be different from the assemblage of retired ladies that take possession of the room at Otto’s bakery after we leave. But one thing is for sure, each group has a pretty good idea of how life would be better if those in charge would just take their recommendations.
“They ought to” is usually the start of a sentence that is followed by a solution to any number of problems. If they would only listen to us, a lot of things could be solved. “The Vikings just have to get rid of Cousins and draft a good new quarterback. Quarterback? What they need to do is shore up the offensive line. Are you kidding me, their cornerbacks were terrible last year, they need to draft for defense.” And on and on it goes, each offering a solution that would bring a Super Bowl victory to Minnesota if only those in charge would listen.
Situations at church, at school, in town or even the state get bandied about and leaders’ actions get criticized.
“They ought to” do something with the carpet in the fellowship hall and we need to sing some more familiar hymns. “They really ought to” teach the kids how to at least balance a checkbook and most of them can’t even make change. “They ought to” forget about that roundabout, keep the traffic light and fix those darn potholes. “They ought to” crack down on speeders and get rid of all those government regulations.
The “they ought to” phrase is often used in conjunction with a description of the way things used to be. If I would have gotten in trouble in school, I would have gotten in double the trouble at home. When we went to church everybody dressed up and I was made to behave. We didn’t need to run to Rochester before because we had car dealers, clothing stores, three hardware and grocery stores right in town. Kids played outside and we drank out of the hose. When we grew up, we all had chores to do and we sure didn’t get everything we wanted. If we had a quarter, we felt like we were rich because we could get a hot dog, a pop, and a candy bar.
People of almost every generation tend to think life was a lot better when they were growing up. It is nice to look back with fond memories and remember the positives and ignore the less pleasant parts.
But would we really like to give up our air-conditioned houses and cars, replace our cell phones with a party line or look things up in an encyclopedia instead of Googling it. I like my snowblower, colored wide screen, and a furnace that I don’t have to shovel coal into.I expect my car to go well over 100,000 miles, not have tires that blow out regularly, and I like the heated seats and steering wheel.
Today’s generation didn’t create video games, I-phones, or youth sports tournaments on Sundays. They just grew up during that time. They’ve always had the internet, cell phones, and both parents that work. Their only problem is they haven’t been alive long enough to really know “how things ought to be.”
Did You Ever Wonder? — Why is it called ‘after dark’ when it is really after light?
Photo: I was thinking Ron Albright