Things were so much better when I was young.”

How often have you heard this from your parents or grandparents? Many incidents and events have made them express these feelings and at times we also tend to reluctantly agree to the fact that things were never as bad as they are now.

Life in the times of our grandparents must have been less civilised with a conservative society. Then performance of rites and rituals were very important and social laws must have been much more rigid. Inter-caste marriage was quite unusual. Most of the marriages were arranged. The tradition of following the father’s job by their children was common.

The present situation of drug abuse was not there. More or less people were busy carrying out traditional festivals and teaching it to their future generation. The living conditions too must have been better in many ways. It is not that the prices of all commodities have increased only now. Prices of goods have gradually increased but nowadays there seems to be no control over them.

As the comparisons continue I guess our parents and grandparents are right in a way. The news channels carry news of violence and crimes. Terrorism is common. Today men have become inhuman. They seem incapable of copying with the pressures imposed by the changes of this developed world and behave ways that are difficult to understand.

The city allows its inhabitants the comforts of modern developments like electricity, communication and improved system of transportation. On the other hand, the city has become over crowded and along with it the problems related to it has also been introduced to us. The introduction of videos has corrupted the minds of the young ones, resulting in bad behaviour and lack of respect for elders. Modernisation has increased the cost of living of people and has also increased the crime rate. Looking at the things as they are today and the way they used to be we must admit that things must certainly have been much better in the days of our parents and grandparents.

— Smriti Tuladhar, Class X, Triyog High School