THE GOOD OLD DAYS

“Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’
For you do not inquire wisely concerning this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10).

Were the “nineties” really gay?
Were the “twenties” really innocent?
Were there any good old days?
Don’t ask!
It is not wise,
For who knoweth what is good for man
In this life.
Speak not of gay times,
For the heart of the wise is
In the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Speak not of past years of song and dance,
For it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise
Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Speak not of days of law and order,
For there is a time wherein one man ruleth over
another
To his own hurt.
Speak not of days when work was honest,
For all the labor of man is for his mouth,
And yet his appetite is not satisfied.
This day is ours.
Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better
Than that a man should rejoice in his own works,
For that is life’s portion.
Who shall bring him to see
What shall be after him?
Our day will be envied
By those of tomorrow.