Finally some seriously good news…
A longtime friend and colleague knows I do not spend time on Facebook, primarily due to security concerns for all the student data that I have on my computers. Therefore when they came across an interesting commentary about my age, they decided to share it with me.
And guess what? I have finally made it into the one-percenters [1%-ers] albeit for a different reason than my bank account.
Globally for those born between 1930 & 1946 ninety-nine percent [99%] are DEAD. So what does this possibly mean? Here are some interesting facts…
• we are the smallest group of children born since the early 1900’s
• we can remember milk being delivered to our house
• discipline was enforced by parents and teachers
• we are the last generation who spent childhood without television and instead we imagined what we heard on the radio
• with no TV, we spent our childhood playing outside and perhaps we had little real understanding of what the world was like
• we got black & white TV in the late 50’s and at best there were three [3] stations (and no remote)
• telephones were one to a house and hung on the wall in the kitchen (who cared about privacy, or knowing before answering who was at the other end of the line!!)
• typewriters were driven by pounding fingers, throwing the carriage & changing the ribbon (INTERNET & GOOGLE were words that did not exist)
• newspapers & magazines were written for adults and Dad would give us the comic pages after he read the news
• as for other news it was also broadcast on the radio in the evening – gradually the radio network expanded from maybe three [3] stations (one being a credible CBC) to thousands it seems
• new highways would bring jobs & mobility but most were two [2] lanes – expressways were just coming into being but were far away – we went downtown to shop and we walked to school
• we weren’t neglected nor were we today’s all-consuming focus: parents were glad we played by ourselves – they were discovering the post-war world, while we entered a world overflowing plenty & opportunity, a world where we were welcomed, enjoyed ourselves
• polio was still a crippler; everyone knew someone who had it
• we grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world was getting better
And in conclusion? Well ninety-nine [99%] of the 1%-ers are retired now and should feel privileged to have lived in the best of times – if you have already reached the age of seventy-seven [77] you have outlined ninety-nine percent [99%] of all the other people on this planet: you are a 1%-er… and because I haven’t retired, I’m in the 1%-er of you 1-%ers!!
I am going to reflect on this list for a few days and then start a new celebration of reaching 2025…
Reflectively
g.w.