It is true when they say a generational gap exists. Basically, it all boils down to experience. People who lived in the '40s or '50s went through totally different things than today's youth are going through.
So I'm going to take you back in time and give you a few examples boomers on Reddit shared that most millennials and the Gen Z generation will never truly understand.
"The sheer joy of receiving a handwritten letter from someone you haven't seen in a long time. I really miss the days when I had a nice stationery set, and I would write long letters to friends and relatives."
I used to be the one writing long letters to family and friends, too.
"Opening up the newspaper to look at the TV guide to see what was on that night."
I grew up in Poland, and we only had two channels, so if something good wasn't on, then you were stuck with nothing to do, ha, ha! I don't miss that so much.
"If there were two shows on TV at the same time and day you had to make a choice. No DVR, no VCR, no on-demand."
"You prioritize one, but flip to the other during commercial breaks. But, then you're flipping back and forth constantly so you don't miss your other show."
I totally did that too, ha, ha.
"Calling the movie theatre to hear the recording with the movie times on it."
Oh, yeah, I totally remember that. I used to do that all the time since I was obsessed with going to the movie theatre, ha, ha.
"The excitement of going to a video rental store on the weekends to get to pick out a movie. Actually picking one out was just as exciting as watching the movie."
Oh, yeah. I second that.
"When you left work you left work. There is an emergency? Oh well, I guess we can solve that problem tomorrow."
Imagine that today, huh? Some people have their bosses call them at all hours of the night. I don't envy that.
"Needing to do a report on a topic. No internet. No encyclopedia on CD. Going to the actual library to find someone in your class already grabbed the one book on the subject."
That was fun, however, I still prefer having Google at my disposal, ha, ha.
"Omg smoking EVERYWHERE! In theaters, planes, offices, hospitals, trains, restaurants, schools... just everywhere (and the outrage when it was finally banned lol)."
Okay, this I definitely have to disagree with here. I never enjoyed cigarette smoke everywhere, so I'm glad it's banned. There I said it.
"Taking photos using those little rolls of film and having to take them into a shop for processing. You often wouldn't know if any of the photos were good until a couple of months later."
I remember the disappointment when a few of my pictures didn't turn out.
"Picking up or saying goodbye to airline passengers right at the gate."
I don't know about that. Sometimes it's hard to say bye to someone, and this could just prolong the agony, no? However, when you welcome someone, you can't wait to see them, so that part was fun.
"Waiting for your favorite song to come on the radio."
Oh, yeah, I remember that. I even tried to call the radio station and convince them to play my favorite song, ha, ha! Sometimes it worked, and they obliged, and sometimes they just said they would and never did.
"Hovering over your stereo with your fingers ready to hit play and record simultaneously while the radio DJ intros the song you've been dying to hear."
Speaking of radio, this would be what I would do before I could buy the cassette with my favorite song.
"Recording movies straight off the TV onto VHS tapes and having the dedication to stop the recording to cut out the ads."
I can't even tell you how many times I did this. It was very annoying but something you either committed yourself to or not, hee-hee.
"Asking for and writing down directions to somewhere, or even looking up and following directions on a map."
Before GPS and Google maps, you actually asked people for directions or looked at a map. There was a sense of adventure about that, huh?
"Putting the empty glass milk bottles outside your door at night to have the new ones delivered in the morning."
I know it sounds like magic, but yes, that used to happen and it was so nice.
"Buying a home at 3-6 times your annual salary and being able to get by on a single income."
Okay, I definitely don't remember that. I have to be honest, it sounds like a dream. How did things go so wrong, huh?
"People could not always get a hold of you and it was a good thing."
You know, I actually grew up during a time when there were no cell phones, only landlines. So if you weren't at home, people couldn't get a hold of you, and I have to admit I kind of miss that.
"I also miss not knowing where anyone was on a Friday night. You just had to drive around to all the regular spots looking for your friends. You didn't always find them but sometimes you met other cool people and had other adventures. There's less chance for serendipity when everyone knows where everyone is 24/7."
Amen to that.
Things were much simpler when I grew up and when my parents grew up. Those times taught us a lot — things like patience, for example. The new generation wants everything right away, but what they don't understand is, that certain things you have to work for, no?
