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Q: Were other time periods better or easier than ours?

    Well, the Stone Age was simpler because you had no maps or clocks. You couldn’t read at night because (1) there were not books and (2) it got dark at night. They were also easier because you didn’t need to save for retirement.

     I recently read about the Middle Ages (not mine, but the world’s). We may have it bad occasionally, but those folks suffered nearly 1,000 years…and those were the rich ones.

     How tough was it? Well, rich people owned the land, lived in a castle, and could afford to bathe once a year.

     Peasants farmed that land, and lived in houses made of wood, straw, and clay. Those dwellings had no windows, dirt floors…and sometimes farm animals slept inside. (That meant their wooden TVs had to remain at high volume.)

     Time meant nothing to them, because it hadn’t been invented. They had no wristwatches, and sundials were too heavy to keep in a pocket.

     Many remedies were herbal, and were passed down from one generation to the next, mostly by conversation. (These were the first oral medications.)

     Consequently, there were very few old people, because anybody over 30 with three or four teeth and most of his fingers was considered a geezer.

     So, simple times doesn’t mean an easy life. Fact is, we humans had to invent a few things before we could even relax.

     The one advantage all modern humans share is breathing in 2022. Sure, people existed in 1960, but until somebody invented the microwave you couldn’t really call it “living.”

     Send your questions about simplifying life to rix@rixquinn.com.