Oct 25
In every age 'the good old days' were a myth. No one ever thought they were good at the time. For every age has consisted of crises that seemed intolerable to the people who lived through them.
Brooks Atkinson (1894 - 1984), Once Around the Sun (1951)
Ducky was very aware of history. He was not sure whether this was because he had a genuine interest in the subject, or whether he had simply lived so long and through so many different defining moments in history that he remembered them all well.
One thing he was very aware of was the constant calls that civilization was about to end, that society was breaking down and it was always so much better 'back then'. Truth be told, he felt the allure of it himself. Viewing the past with rose-tinted spectacles made him feel happier, more content. A utopia that could be achieved if they just went back in time a little way.
But it was all an illusion. Every society felt exactly the same way. Records had been found from the Romans complaining that society was crumbling (although perhaps they had a point…). In reality, life continued to improve for the vast majority of people in the civilized world. Access to life-saving medicines. A free education for all. Increased life expectancy and wealth. A free press, a democratic government – he took these for granted when others could not.
Perhaps the crime rate went up at times, but anyone could prove anything was statistics. Ducky had heard Abigail arguing that an increase in crime rates could simply mean more people were reporting crimes, or more crimes were being solved, or some activity had been classed as a crime and people had yet to get the message.
Sometimes he had to remember himself that he was living in a good place at a good time. And he was able to surround himself with the people he loved and cared about, able to speak his mind on whatever subject he wished.