Sad Day of Reflection

William Shatter recently turned 90 years old.  He commented in reflection that we should take it easy, because in the end nothing matters.  Today was my first visit with Dad, post third wave.  It's been months since the last stay at home order was issued by the province.  Dad is now, and has been for some time, living in a retirement residence.  It wasn't a bad visit and trip out to Seaforth, other than I killed two animals. 

A squirrel ran out in front of me, which I couldn't avoid.  Then, a bird on the road didn't fly away.  I felt both squish under the tire.  I'm getting to liberal maybe, but it was sad.  Perish the thought.

Reflecting on the visit, I pondered many things.  Dad and I don't have much to discuss.  We can't talk politics or religion, and he has nothing to do.  Current events are out anyways, as his memory is so bad.  So, he reverts to talking about the past.  When he slanders family members, I change the subject.

We got coffee from Tim Horton's and headed to the old air base in Clinton.  It's sort of nostalgic for him, as he served on several. 

Continuing to reflect, I always marveled at the things my grandfather witnessed in his life.  He was born into a world in which beasts of burden were the main means of transportation.  He saw (lived through) the death of Queen Victoria, of Victorian Age fame, Canada's first monarch.  He saw the invention of the automobile.  He saw first flight happen.  He saw the invention of the radio.  Then, he saw the invention of the television.  He lived through two world wars, and missed serving in both due to age, too young & too old.  Although, he was in the Militia during or shortly before of after the second.  He saw man land on the Moon!  He lived to see the invention of networked computers and the internet, although he may not have understood.  There can't have been too many people who experienced all that.  From horse and cart to space flight and instant communication, it must have been something for a former telegraph operator.

As I continued to reflect, I thought about my own dad.  Maybe he has witnessed equally great transformation in his lifetime, although not necessarily technological.  A self proclaimed technophobe who doesn't stray beyond a digital alarm clock but prefers an analogue one, he was--at one time--a computer programmer.  In the 70s, I believe, he used paper punch cards to program.  However, the social changes he has witnessed are enormous.  Born into a world fighting totalitarianism, we now are no longer free to associate, assemble, travel, work, purchase what we desire, etc...  Even free speech is being challenged and maybe soon freedom of thought also.  A coldwarrior, he stood to defend us from socialism.  Now, it is openly embraced as we--as a society--blame all evils on free market capitalism.  When my dad was a boy, there were Orange lodges in every town.  Shops closed on Sundays.  People went to Church.  Homosexuality was a criminal offense, for which you could be hanged, I believe.  Now, we are in Pride Month.  Civil rights were being fought for and there was rampant racism in the deep South.  Now, White people are privileged orchestrates of oppression with retribution being demanded for past offenses, and things like Toxic Masculinity, Subconscious Bias, Benevolent Sexism, Micro Aggression, Male Privilege, and Colour Blind Racism exist.  People didn't believe in evolution when he was a boy.  Now, we've just released the first batch of genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild.

It's been roughly 25 years since my grandfather was in the retirement home, where he passed away alone.  Now, Dad is all alone and lonely.  At least my estranged brother visits him once a week.  He has that.  And, who know what another 25 years will bring.