It's about time somebody sticks up for the present

One of those "nostalgic" e-mails landed in my in-box a few days ago. You may know what I'm talking about — it's one of those things that gets forwarded from friend to friend to friend, such that it circles the globe about once every 17 days or so. Indeed, I'm pretty sure this e-mail — or one very similar to it — has been sent to me about two or three times before.

This particular version included still photos from vintage TV shows like "The Little Rascals" and "Batman," followed by a diatribe about how different things "used to be." The article laments the rise of video games and Prozac, while remembering mothers who used to cut chicken and chop eggs on the same cutting board with nobody getting food poisoning; and remembering that "we didn't act up at the neighbor's house, because if we did, we got our butt spanked there, and then we got butt spanked again when we got home."

The overriding intent of the piece was to laud the way things were in the past, with the obvious insinuation that the present just doesn't hold a candle to it. Indeed, one recipient along the way added the editorial comment, "I agree, this was America's best, and today its worst."

Now, there's nothing wrong with looking back on the past with fond memories.

But it's about time somebody sticks up for the present.

Sure, it's different. It's worse in some ways, but it's better in others. And those who dare to take off their nostalgic glasses will see a world that has a whole lot of good things going for it.

After all, today we live in a world where a woman and an African-American can be viable candidates for president of the United States.

We live in a world where we can place a phone call to our friends and loved ones from virtually any spot in the country.

We live in a world where, for the first time, citizens are finding ways to use less energy and recycle more.

We live in a world where, with a microwave, you can cook dinner in a matter of seconds. And with a dishwasher, you can clean up with the push of a button — giving you more time to spend with your family.

We live in a world where little girls can play baseball and little boys can dance and cook, if that's what it is they want to do.

We live in a world where we can pause, record and rewind live television.

We live in a world where doctors can actually grow new human organs, restore your sight with surgery and, in some cases, eliminate cancer.

We live in a world with Google, where you can find a dozen causes for lower back pain, or a complete list of every movie Seth Rogan has appeared in, with only a few clicks of the keyboard and mouse.

We live in a world where if you don't like what's on television, you can go to the video store and rent every episode of your favorite oldies — or simply download them off the Internet.

We live in a world where you can be a doctor or a teacher or an editor or a lawyer or an executive or a scientist, no matter if you're white or black or male or female or Chinese or Indian or Christian or Muslim.

We live in a world where our cars can tell us when we're lost, parallel park themselves, and play movies for the kids in the backseat.

We live in a world where, with e-mail, it only takes about 3 seconds to send a tirade to all your friends about how terrible the world has become.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a little nostalgia. In fact, it can be healthy. After all, you'll never know where you are unless you first know where you've been.

But what I take issue with is the idea that any one period in time can be universally better than any other period of time. Such comparisons are futile. Time is ever-moving, and the world we live in is always in motion. Things change, sometimes for the worse, but just as often for the better. And when you add it all together, all you can say is that there's good and bad that comes with every age.

We can take pride in our past, but we can also be happy with our present. And as for the future, we will always have hope.