Mike,

>>Folks back then were far closer to the daily quest for survival than today.
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>Thats what I was saying, yes.
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>>And you can continue to deceive yourself by believeing that what you know is the sum total of what can be known and if someone contradicts you they MUST be wrong - since what they say isn't in your knowledge base.
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>I'm not the one who said "life is easy" for anyone.
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>>You forget that my wife is a public school teacher
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>In a school of how many and where? I don't think we're talking about the same people.

Really? Except for Karol a small child would most likely have been kidnapped and perhaps harmed. The schools in the district she works in are pretty rough and while you may think that the general SLC area is pretty protected from what some inner city kids deal with I beg to differ.

The pastor of the church I attend is really big on counselling. It's his 'thing', if you will. He was remarking that in California that typically about 5% of the counselling sessions related to sexual molestation of some kind or another but around here it's over 50%. Sadly there are some real troubles around here that most folks don't know about. Highest useage of Prozac in Utah County (BYU territory) than just about anywhere else. Religious systems generate tremendous tensions, not necessarily the peace and joy they advertise. (I'll explain this last sentence to you if you don't 'get it', ok?)


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>>I'll accept your apology in about 20 years. < BG >
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>Apologize for what? You assumed that life was peachy for kids today. Not me. I understand that life was hard, and that many of the variables have been removed in my day. In fact, I had this discussion a couple hours ago over a bowl of soup in a restaurant. But if you think that there aren't people in America that are fighting to live or always fearing for their lives, even in schools, you are clueless. Thats all my point was.

I appreciate that you understand that life is hard. However, my point, and I guess I haven't been clear enough (so I'll try again <g>) is that both you and I don't really have a clue as to how hard life could be in relation to those who have gone before. I do understand that for some life is quite difficult but my point was that in comparison to what our immediate fore-fathers went thsough we've encountered not very much. Individuals perhaps? Sure but I'm talking about whole generations of peoples vs a few.

Additionally, a lot of what kids call "hard" these days is no such thing comparatively. I do not think in general that kids have it harder today than 60 years ago.