Swig is Just a Repeat of Itself

Photo courtesy of Jerry Hoffman

Swig and Sota are two of the newest drink fads grabbing teenage imaginations. In case, you’re over the age of twelve and out of the loop, both of these drinks are newly manufactured liquid concoctions old timers like me would call a witch’s brew. Back in the day, at my corner drug store, it meant a glass of Coca Cola with a squirt of chocolate, cherry or vanilla syrup mixed in. A decade later, in Sharon’s Wabasha, they called it a suicide drink. Some things never change when it comes to tempting the virgin palate.

Along the same lines, my daughter and I have this ongoing discussion about changing times and opportunities. She believes that Sharon and I had it easier growing up, raising kids, buying our first house and so forth. “Yep, you guys had it easier than my husband and I have had doing the same thing.”

Not so, say I. Different times, yes. Different challenges, yes. Different social-economic-political pressures from both sides to taint and/or coat the equations of differences, yep. But, at its most basic level, not a whole lot has changed over the decades.

Now, I will admit that I have a distinct advantage over my daughter with my own miles traveled. I have earned the education, information and life scars gleamed over a lifetime of living. In turn, that has benefited me with the ability to look back and see remarkable similarities.

We live in a world today that is rift with misinformation and propaganda from both sides of the political aisle. Artificial Information has enhanced the dissemination of information but also spread mistrust and illusion in its wake. For many of us, it can be discouraging at times. Yet, in reality, some things never change. History really does repeat itself.

A quick glance back at historical events paints quite an interesting picture. Every generation thinks it has discovered sex, will end all wars, is the best collection of humanity around and knows more than any other generation. The world of business is one good example of this.

Today’s Wall Street darlings all hype the same mantra; new, innovative, ground-breaking, revolutionary, etc. History tells a different story. The reality is that the world of business is constantly changing, evolving, growing out of date and at the same time being truly innovative. The brightest stars of today could be the relics of tomorrow by this afternoon.

Block Buster once ruled the home video market. Then, upstart Netflix came along with their revolutionary idea of sending DVDs in the mail. Now, Paramount is trying to dislodge that giant of streaming content with its own version of content distribution.

In the 50s and 60s, IBM was ‘it’ in computer technology until a little upstart in Seattle sold them it’s operating system and kept the rights for themselves. Now, Microsoft is competing with other surviving giants in the newest fields of AI (artificial intelligence) and quantum computing.

After World War Two, Sears Robuck, Montgomery Wards and old stewards like the Emporium dominated the retail world. Now Walmart and Target have taken their place and even Target has stumbled recently. Uber and Lyft replaced Yellow Cab. Airbnb edged out Hilton and Marriott in the lodging business.

In historical terms, nothing ever stays the same and whatever goes around, comes around. Time changes everything.  Civilizations are born, grow and die over time. Innovation changes the world and it stays the same. Nations and nationalities become convinced they are the conquering force and then they aren’t.

Japan and Germany went totalitarian in the 1930s, trying to conquer the world. They never did. Japan tried to conquer Vietnam during World War Two and failed. Then the French tried to continue their colonial rule. They couldn’t. The Americans also tried and failed. Afghanistan was no different. First, it was the Russians then the Americans. Neither country was able to dislodge the ethnic, religious and political forces tearing the country apart. Now Israel and America are trying to do the same thing in the Middle East with Iran. See a pattern here?

Education is paramount for Melanie’s children’s advancement as it is for the Colorado cousins. Compared to the standard approach in achieving a college or tradesman degree my generation had to follow, nowadays, educational opportunities mean almost endless possibilities unheard of only a few decades ago.

High schoolers, as well as adult students, are inundated with extracurricular activities of every scope and area of interest. There are AP (advance placement) classes available. Community and Technical Colleges play a critical role in furthering education for those unable or unwilling to follow the four-year traditional approach. On-line educational courses, Adult Ed classes, and correspondence classes can all lead to advanced studies toward a MA and PhD degree. It is no longer a case of one single approach for everyone to follow.

Everything seems fluid except for one reality. There is still hope in age-old values and a common-sense approach to life.  Those basic core values of hard work, determination, common sense, thrifty smart vs stupid cheap, ambition, etc. It’s the same philosophy of life that’s been around forever.

There is nothing new in this category. While ‘Think and Grow Rich’ may have grabbed the reader’s attention in the early thirties, the mythical tale of rags to riches by Horatio Alger had already arrived at the turn of the century. The Sixties and Eighties philosophers followed suit as did Tony Robbins later on.

‘The Basics’ as old school teachers have preached for centuries are still has tried and true as they were back then. Hard to remember with all the distractions around but still as reliable as ever. So, yeah, some things change and some things just come on round back again.