New Things, Old Things, & The Same Things

Photo by Alan Bowman on Unsplash

I’ve been trying to learn new skills and platforms. As I’ve been doing that, I’ve been surprised about how some things never change and how some things we do today we think are new when actually, they are the same old things just with new tech entwined.

Recently, as some of you know, I’ve tried learning YouTube. My editing skills need work, but I’m not going for perfection. The videos are far from perfect, and I’m ok with that. They are improving, and that’s one of the goals.

When I started the YouTube videos, I did not want to be on camera. I did not want to give my opinions or voice anything personal. After really sitting with that criteria for awhile and contemplating what the heck I could talk about that would fit those rules, I decided to read newspapers from the 1800s. (ha! If it’s an experiment, let’s really push that experimental boundary of picking a strange topic with small audience and see how it can grow.) I thought the topic would flow nicely with my articles here, and compliment my overall vision.

Anyway, so here are some things I’ve been learning along the way:

• People complained about the condition of the roads and the politicians who weren’t fixing them back in the 1800s, same as today.

• There seems to be at least one divorce listed in every newspaper I read from the 1800s. While they weren’t as common as today, they certainly existed! The stories I’ve always heard about divorce in the olden days run counter to that, so I have been surprised.

• There was crime back then! I read a lot about drunkenness, murders, and theft. The number of these crimes has actually surprised me.

• Newspapers in the 1800s reminded folks to shop local, because those business owners were putting the profits back into the communities. That hasn’t changed.

• AirBnBs and VRBOs are the “boarding for tourists” of the 1800s with a technology twist.

• People have always been nibby and nosey. Nib noses.

• Today’s “grocery pick-up” is how grocery shopping used to be, with a technology twist. My Grandpa would take Grandma’s list to the store, hand it to the person at the counter. That person would go around, pick up everything, and bring it back to the counter for Grandpa.

• Today’s same day delivery used to be called the milk-man or the fruits & veggie man.

Lastly, the biggest thing I’m learning and reinforcing in my own head, is that it all comes down to a story. When I first started reading the newspaper articles, I didn’t want to add any commentary. I wanted people to fill in the gaps with their own stories or connect the articles into their own story. I’ve started adding a tad bit of commentary, so people “get” what I’m trying to do. In essence, I’m wanting the listeners of the videos to “get” the same story out of the articles that I’m telling.

We’ve been telling some stories about ourselves, our neighbors, and our communities forever! If the stories we tell ourselves create our reality, then I’m convinced right now that we will not change our communities until we change the stories we tell. I’ve got some ideas for that, so stay tuned for some new announcement and launches in 2025.

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