The Good Old Days

We always hear about the good old days.

The time before everything became so divided. Before every conversation turned into a battle. Before people started seeing neighbors as enemies and family members as ideological threats.

It was never perfect—America never has been. But there was a time when people disagreed without seeing each other as the enemy. When politicians fought in front of the cameras but shared drinks behind closed doors. When the news was something you watched, not something that made you feel sick to your stomach.

There was a time when we had more in common than what set us apart.

We cheered for the same Olympic teams. We teared up at the same speeches. We made small talk at the grocery store without worrying about which “side” someone was on.

And then, somewhere along the way, it changed.

We started talking less and assuming more.
We started listening only to people who already agreed with us.
We started sorting ourselves into teams—left, right, us, them.

And now, here we are.

Everything is a fight. Everything is a test of loyalty. Everything feels like it could break.

So what happened to the good old days?

Were they real, or just nostalgia? Can they exist again, or is that time gone forever?

Maybe the past wasn’t perfect. But it wasn’t this.

And maybe it’s time we remember how to share a country, even when we don’t share the same views.