"Our Ancestors the Stantons"

Are we the ancestors our future needs?

Another person who loves local history recently lent me a copy of his book, Our Ancestors the Stantons, published in 1922. Over 500 pages of stories and accounts of the family surname Stanton along with related connections like Bundy, Bailey, Davis, and more.

One of the things I love about this book is that it shows pictures of and discusses the common, everyday occurrences and items. It has pictures from the late 1800s and early 1900s of homes and the contents of those homes. It shows someone’s rocking chair, spoon, table, candlestick holder, and tools. Pictures show the joints in the old log houses. It shows an old mill and how it worked. It shows the things we take for granted.

I found the stories fascinating.

Do any of us record things like this today for our future generations? Few people I know print any of the thousands of pictures they take with their phones. Will future generations of any old family photos to hang on walls? Are we losing generations of memory?

I was listening recently to a podcast where Ari Wallach was interviewed. I went to his Longpath website where he says: “Short-termism is on the rise. Reactive digital media and obsession with short-term gain pushes people to favor instant gratification over long-term happiness. As a result, we feel increasingly isolated, anxious, and reactive. 

We can find a better way. Addressing these challenges requires investments, deferred gratification, and coordination. The futures we believe in won’t come from a new app or politician — they will come from each of us.

We can become the ancestors the future needs.”

Woah.

Are we the ancestors the future needs?

I look at this book about the Stanton family published over 100 years ago. I read the description of the pioneer supper and look at the picture of a typical stairway in an old pioneer settler’s home. They knew how to make things and why they did things a certain way. Do we know why we do things certain ways? Do we know how to make things?

By making things “easier” or “more advanced” are we skipping the foundations? Are we really making things or creating a world that the future needs? Are we the ancestors the future needs?

Thanks for pulling up your rocking chair and pondering questions with me at The Creighton Cabin. Perhaps this winter, we will have an in-person pondering session for those who live close by.

Until next time…