I just read another article about how today’s young people
have it so hard. The article tried to convince me that they are under constant
pressure to succeed and to survive, in the Dog Eat Dog world of today.
The picture that is painted of what they have to go through
far surpasses anything faced by those who came and went before them…Or does it?
The article gave several examples to prove its They Got
It Tough Contention…
- They have to cope with the constant pressure of having to keep their Smartphones charged. What could be worse than having a cell phone go dead right in the middle of a really important Tweet?
- How about the hour upon hour of laying in your bed unable to fall asleep worried about whether your mother had made a mistake when she only offered that Admission Official $100,000 to get you into that snotty Ivy League College instead or the $125,000 he had hinted might be a more “acceptable” figure. The way he had verbally underlined the word “acceptable” has really been keeping you on edge for days now.
- From personal experience I know the shock and horror of walking into a Jacuzzi with my Smartphone in the pocket of my swimming trunks. Actually this is probably worse than the What Could Be Worse Tweeting Catastrophe in the first bullet above.
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I was really beginning to Feel Modern Youth’s Pain when I
started to think that maybe when compared to times past their pain may not be
as painful as I think they think it is.
Imagine you are a Young, Skinny, Wiry Fellow Not Over 18 in
the Spring of 1860 and you need a job badly. You need a job so badly that you
respond to and accept the job offered by the following poster…
Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18.
Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily.
Orphans preferred.
Wages $25 per week.
You, young skinny man (you could not weigh over 125 pounds),
have just become a Rider for the Pony Express!
- It was determined that a pony at full gallop could travel approximately 10 miles a day.
- You are expected to travel alone, day and night, regardless of weather.
- You could stop at one of the Pony Express Stations (approximately 10 miles apart) to switch ponies and get water.
- Only after traveling 75 to 100 miles could a rider switch out with another rider and rest.
- Since the riders would be traveling alone, they were subject to the elements and attacks from Wild Animals, Native Americans (back then they were Indians) and Bandits.
- Originally, the riders were armed with guns, but eventually most of the weapons were taken away to lighten the load. Speed of travel and carrying capacity were more important than the Skinny Riders.
There turned out to be some light at the end of the tunnel.
The Pony Express went out of business after 18 months. It had earned
approximately $90,000 but it had lost more than double that amount.
***************
Somehow, Keeping Your Smartphone Charged, Bribing Your Way
Into Snotty Schools and Taking a Jacuzzi Dip With Your Smartphone in Your
Pocket does not seem to measure up against being a Skinny Orphan on a Fast Pony
Without a Gun.
Would I kid u?
Smartfella
