It's been a few generations, but we're never too old to take the advice of our elders.
With the Town of Bonnyville recently celebrating its diamond jubilee — 75 years since official incorporation as a municipality — it's easy to look back on the decades and remark on how far things have come in that time. Infrastructure updates, technology, medicine ... Back in 1948, the world had never heard of MacIntosh, dual cyclone bagless vacuums, the Dodge Charger, or the polio vaccine. The rotary-dial phone and film cameras to many people today, are like artifacts from an ancient era.
But 75 isn't all that old.
Actor Wes Studi is 75, so is Elton John. The inventor of that dual-cyclone vacuum — James Dyson — is 75 too. It's likely that a few part-time cashiers at your local drug stores and grocery stores are in their 70s. There are probably a few servers in Lakeland restaurants who have been pouring coffee for the last 30 years who are approaching that diamond age as well.
It was 75 years ago that the transistor was invented, replacing large vacuum valves, and paving the trail to the digital revolution, and allowing Lakelandtoday.ca readers to see this Lakeland This Week article on their laptops, desktops and phones.
Although going back 75 years in the history of technology may seem like the Stone Age where nothing of value can be learned, in human history it's probably the perfect age to learn from.
There are elders in our communities with life-lived experiences who can offer insights into the world ahead from their own recall of past generations. Many seniors living in our communities today were part of the modern settlement as the first building blocks of these communities were laid. They are a wealth of modern information.
Of course, the Indigenous history of the region goes back thousands of years, and there too, the words, advice, and learned mistakes of the elders should be invaluable markers for all cultures going forward.
We just have to ask them ... while we still can.
All too often we associate the advancements, new technology, and the fast-paced progress we see today with the youngest generation moving forward with it. But we must remember those who paved the way — and are still here to share that experience. As Bonnyville celebrates that diamond birthday, it's appropriate that a common expression in regions like this is that our communities are like finding diamonds in the rough.
In our rush to move ahead, let's not forget to hear from the people who, not so long ago, left those diamonds for the next generations to shine.
