How You Look at Things
Moderators: godfather, Dreamweaver
- Teddy
- Diamond Member
- Posts: 28061
- Joined: 20 Jun 2008, 15:11
- Location: South East Queensland,Australia
How You Look at Things
how you look at things......
In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”
That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.
But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 2,200 watts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.
They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But they didn’t have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But isn't it sad that they didn't have the green thing back then.
In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”
That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.
But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 2,200 watts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.
They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But they didn’t have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But isn't it sad that they didn't have the green thing back then.
- donander
- Emerald Member
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- Joined: 08 Mar 2010, 12:21
- Location: Northern Gold Coast, Australia
Re: How You Look at Things
Loved it Teddy. :handgestures-thumbsupright:
The last interglacial had less ice, higher sea levels, and warmer temperatures than this one. So, according to the evidence so far, human activity must have a COOLING effect.
- Maggs
- Diamond Member
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- Joined: 22 May 2006, 15:29
- Location: Adelaide South Australia
Re: How You Look at Things
Me too, Teddy. =D>
- godfather
- Diamond Member
- Posts: 13608
- Joined: 31 Aug 2005, 20:41
- Location: Brisbane
Re: How You Look at Things
That is so great, thanks, Teddy. =D> =D> =D>
I'm really glad we didn't have the green thingy back then!

I'm really glad we didn't have the green thingy back then!



The devil whispered, “You cannot withstand the storm“ and I replied: “I am the storm!”.....Unknown.
Re: How You Look at Things
I wish those jolly green bags wouldn't make you feel so guilty when you forget them though!



- Teddy
- Diamond Member
- Posts: 28061
- Joined: 20 Jun 2008, 15:11
- Location: South East Queensland,Australia
Re: How You Look at Things
Don't feel guilty Dawn.I've read that the Check out staff,are often unhappy about having to handle some of the "Green Bags," especially when they find them "grubby" and dirty..
- Mahalia
- Moderator (Bronze Member)
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Re: How You Look at Things
Seems these days we are always needing a solution to a solution. IMO we have become to 'sanitized paranoid'. A lot of us oldies grew up on properties or in country areas and it seemed to do us no harm and we all know what fertilizes country properties. We were allowed to play as kids all day and actually get dirty outside, strangely that did us no harm either...never as a kid knew other kids with asthma, ADD, or any of the numerous things that seems to plague kids today...but did know a lot of kids with plain old fashioned common sense, good manners, and self reliance, who never seemed to get sick or bored...something you don't see today.
Dirt is good - bring back the dirt

Dirt is good - bring back the dirt



- donander
- Emerald Member
- Posts: 6892
- Joined: 08 Mar 2010, 12:21
- Location: Northern Gold Coast, Australia
Re: How You Look at Things
Go Mahalia! Such a good common sense post. I think we must be related .... :handgestures-thumbsupright:Mahalia wrote:Seems these days we are always needing a solution to a solution. IMO we have become to 'sanitized paranoid'. A lot of us oldies grew up on properties or in country areas and it seemed to do us no harm and we all know what fertilizes country properties. We were allowed to play as kids all day and actually get dirty outside, strangely that did us no harm either...never as a kid knew other kids with asthma, ADD, or any of the numerous things that seems to plague kids today...but did know a lot of kids with plain old fashioned common sense, good manners, and self reliance, who never seemed to get sick or bored...something you don't see today.
Dirt is good - bring back the dirt![]()
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The last interglacial had less ice, higher sea levels, and warmer temperatures than this one. So, according to the evidence so far, human activity must have a COOLING effect.
- Maggs
- Diamond Member
- Posts: 61895
- Joined: 22 May 2006, 15:29
- Location: Adelaide South Australia
Re: How You Look at Things
Ah so...the Oracle has spoken.....buti ndo know that in my childhood and my children's childhood there was a wise saying about dirt......"You have to eat a Peck of dirt before you die"!
Our present youth are now eating a Peck of Chemicals instead
Our present youth are now eating a Peck of Chemicals instead

- godfather
- Diamond Member
- Posts: 13608
- Joined: 31 Aug 2005, 20:41
- Location: Brisbane
Re: How You Look at Things
As a kid after the war we were playing in ruins and dirty creeks, old bomb shelters and old stacks of live bombs.
How we survived and hardly ever got sick is a mystery to science, but we did. When I came home one day with a broken
arm my mother said "What happened?" as she wrapped the arm in an old tea towel and marched me 2 kms to a doctor.
If we got hurt it was our fault and we suffered. I learned very fast that danger was lurking everywhere but as kids it made no difference to having fun!
Spoilt brats, cottonwool and sissies come to mind, hey?
:- :- :-
How we survived and hardly ever got sick is a mystery to science, but we did. When I came home one day with a broken
arm my mother said "What happened?" as she wrapped the arm in an old tea towel and marched me 2 kms to a doctor.
If we got hurt it was our fault and we suffered. I learned very fast that danger was lurking everywhere but as kids it made no difference to having fun!
Spoilt brats, cottonwool and sissies come to mind, hey?
:- :- :-
The devil whispered, “You cannot withstand the storm“ and I replied: “I am the storm!”.....Unknown.
- donander
- Emerald Member
- Posts: 6892
- Joined: 08 Mar 2010, 12:21
- Location: Northern Gold Coast, Australia
Re: How You Look at Things
I know of a young couple who bought bottled water and boiled it for their new baby! Betcha that baby was at risk if catching everything ..... doh
The last interglacial had less ice, higher sea levels, and warmer temperatures than this one. So, according to the evidence so far, human activity must have a COOLING effect.