To Whom It May Concern,

I've been reading letters my Grandpa sent to me about his childhood and thinking about the life that was lead back then. While we are extremely privileged to live in the 21st century I cannot help but to envy him a few, I suppose unimportant, norms. I'm not sure either if envy is the word I'm searching for but perhaps I'll figure that out further on in this post.

My Grandpa was born in 1931, the Great Depression. Times were incalculably tough and reading how his family, well, my family, functioned during those times is incredible. Yet there was something about those times that seems so very genuine. The way people were back then, even as war loomed over them, was truly genuine.

A community really was just that. When food was rationed it was left out on the street to be collected. We wouldn't dream of that now. I don't doubt that at times food was stolen but we are so suspicious of each other now that it would not be a possibility.  Families helped other families when times got especially tough. Nine year olds could ride a bicycle five miles to the closest bus stop to get to school. The thought of that these days renders most parents in total panic.

Following that further, '30 minutes of exercise' as a necessity definitely didn't exist. Why? Because people HAD to keep fit to survive. These days a child will complain throughout their entire school career about walking a few streets over to the bus stop with their school bags. If it really comes down to it and we have to walk to school, well, isn't that just the end of the world? The way we abuse what we have been given; transport, running water, the ability to keep physically fit, readily available food...it puts things into perspective.

As I think about it I come to a horrifying realisation.

The only thing that would make people change their lifestyles and not take advantage of what we have been given is war.

Isn't that disgusting.