There has been some recent comment that life was better in times gone by but is that really the case? Take corruption - it has been around for thousands of years and I fear that it will continue. The only realistic hope is that more serious efforts will be made to reduce the level of it. It is alleged that some miners were a wee bit creative regarding their coal production output but nonetheless they were very courageous to work at a pit in the first place.
Certainly there was a core of considerate, kindly Deerness Valley people in generations gone by but on looking at Victorian newspapers I find that plenty of violence occurred in mining communities as well as elsewhere. Likewise there are some considerate and kindly people in the valley today, as well as a few bad apples.
Do you agree that one of the problems is the ever increasing emphasis on having possessions rather than quality relationships? It has been said that many people are ambitious but only to the extent that they want to own more that everyone else in their immediate locality. Is excessive capitalism doing us in? Is it dividing us and giving us an inferior set of values? Are we getting to be 'Go Compare' automatons?
WB
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Should like to think that there was more than a core of kindly and considerate people living in Ushaw Moor when I was a child, I believe that virtually the whole village could be said to be such people. Doubt if you have read anything in Victorian papers about violence in Ushaw Moor other than that dished out by the mine owners henchmen. Of course there would have been some theft and violence elsewhere in the county with the odd carpet thief from Barnard Castle being hanged in Durham. Yes Wilf the good old days.
ReplyDelete....and maybe a bit of wife beating. Good stuff Peter. I seem to have teased out your response very nicely. Without you and half a dozen others there would be a dearth of contributions to the site.
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