Precious Things Lost

Bloganuary’s challenge for today is to tell about a treasure that’s been lost. It looks like 78 bloggers to this point have responded with various things they miss — or they think we all miss. These challenge could be taken either way: this could be something I’ve lost myself or something I think we as a society have lost.

One of the treasures I’ve lost is my HEARING. I started out with one hearing aid twenty-odd years ago; have had two for the past fifteen years. Marvelous little things! Without them I’d only have half the hearing capability of a normal person, if that. The hearing in my left ear especially is way down. Some of this was unavoidable, being due to allergies that cause fluid backup around the ear drums. Some I could have avoided had I known…

When I was in my early thirties I had tubes put in my ears, because of said allergies, and was given cortisone ear drops to put in my ears. I used them faithfully, being sure they went all the way into my ears. A dozen years later we lived in another place and I asked a doctor for a refill. He said, “You can’t use those long-term. Studies show that if they get through the tubes into the inner ear, they can damage your hearing.””

“Well, okay. Now I know.”

So it’s impossible to determine how much of my hearing loss was inevitable and how much was due to being uninformed. My dad and brother both got hearing aids, so some of my problem could be genetic. In any case, HEARING is definitely a treasure I miss.

As far as things we as a society have lost, I’ll say the teaching of HISTORY. Again–since this is one of my regular laments. Young people in our society aren’t learning enough history to give them a balanced perspective on current events. If we have the knowledge of what has all gone on before us, we can compare, we can learn.

Fact is, the world has seen times like this before — and much worse. We aren’t suffering more, or living with more fear, than anyone else in the history of the world. Mankind as a whole has survived tough times. Also, in the past this course of action has led to such and such consequences. Let’s avoid a repeat of the bad ones.

So there’s my view of treasures lost.