The Path Less Taken

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life.

A friend and I went to eat lunch today, he took me to this "new" little 50's style diner located in an old renovated full service gas station. It was decorated with the stereotypical 50's decor, chrome plated just about every metal surface in the joint and it had a Wurlitzer jukebox playing bubble gum doo whop songs, which were being piped into it through a satellite feed. Not quite true 1950's style but hey it's 21st century after all. As we both scanned the scenery from our opposing vantage points he casually stated that if he could live in any American period it would be the 1950's. Before even thinking about it I replied, "the 1950's, the last innocent decade of America". We pondered that statement for a bit. Was it really? It sounded good, but was it true? I don't think anyone would call the 60's innocent, what, with a Presidential Assassination, Vietnam and those hippies and all. The 70's, still Vietnam and Watergate. The 80's, this starts my acknowledgment of the World outside my immediate surroundings, so let's see; Iran-Contra scandal, "The War on Drugs", being bombarded every night on the news with scenes of War from Beirut, and last but not least the start of the AIDS epidemic. The 90's, the First Gulf War, the continuing "War on Drugs", being bombarded every night on the news with scenes of political scandals (yes Monica that includes you), and the ongoing AIDS epidemic. Well surely the 2000's would be a little more innocent, right? Well we kicked off the century-2000- with a slug fest and cussing match of Presidential election (remember the hanging chads), September 11 2001, Afghan War, Iraq War, the broadcast execution by hanging of Saddam Hussein on YouTube, being bombarded every night on the news with scenes of War and terrorism and natural disasters from Afghanistan, Iraq, Georgia, Somalia, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, Indonesia, Haiti, Chile, China, Japan, India, Mexico, New Orleans, Bahrain and .....well, you get the point, just throw a dart. Oh yeah and the AIDS epidemic not mention other pandemics; Swine Flu, Avian Flu, Mad Cow disease, West Nile Fever, etc, etc.

The 1950's may have been the last "innocent" American Decade we've seen, but that wasn't my decade and who's to say it'll be the last one we have. Innocence is a perspective, a state of mind. I really don't think they where that innocent, sheltered and naive yes, but boys will always be boys and girls will always be girls. Politicians will always be politicians and poverty and injustice will always be just that. I heard Bill Maher say one time, for every person that longs for the "Good 'ol Days" you can find a person who the "Good 'ol Days" weren't that good to. America and the World are definitely a different place than they were 60 years ago. I wouldn't say better or worse, I don't know I wasn't there, just different. But I for one choose to walk the narrow path through the narrow gate.