Were the Good Old Days Really Good? (Eccl 7:10)

Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. (Ecc 7:10 NKJ)

There is a usual feeling among some that the older days were better. They think that, then, people were morally better, things were safer and more reliable, and the songs had more meaning than the songs sung today. It seems like the modern world has putrefied disgustingly. However, one doesn’t fail to understand that dirt doesn’t just come from nowhere. The sewage pipes of human nature were there all the time hidden beneath the refinements of culture. The vents were small and few, but grew larger and many as history thought it better to adjust culture to the vents of sewage than adjusting the vents to a non-justifiable culture. The reformers and repairers of the pipe either got weary of trying to stop the unstoppable or just flowed down with the seepage of dirt. It portends an imminent breakage of sewage and massive inundation of evil into history that the Bible calls as the Great Tribulation. But, we certainly, already now have a culture that increasingly adapts itself to the enjoyment of sewage – to just vent out everything and not act hypocritically. That is disastrous, of course; but, it doesn’t make the former days better as far as the existence of sewage is considered. The only difference is the uninhibited seepage of dirt.

Humanity then and now equally needs the removal of dirt from the inner human heart. The inner fountain must be cleansed and purified; or else, there is no hope. Transformation, NOT reformation, is the answer.

But, then, of course, the modern world is technologically and materialistically better than the former. For instance, communication is faster; which means on one hand that the harbingers of transformation have more pace and power at their disposal; but, it also means that sewage also has more pace and power at its disposal. So, the potent effect is equalized. Living conditions have certainly got better; but, not for all.

But, it is better to stop lamenting like a helpless fool who cannot handle the weeds from becoming a jungle.

Don't long for "the good old days." This is not wise. (Ecc 7:10 NLT)

One must become wise and learn to turn a chaotic wilderness into a beautiful garden. It needs equipment, sacrifice, and commitment. The goal is not to repair the broken sewers of culture; but, to purify the sources; certainly, a humanly impossible task. The goal is not to use the “good old days” case-story as the ideal; certainly not. We need to understand the principle of goodness and work accordingly in context of the present. God hasn’t sent the Spirit to restore the world to the good old days but to lead the children of God into the glorious liberty of the new creation. The Spirit-led don’t photocopy the 1920s to the 2020s. The Spirit-led simply obey the Spirit of true divine freedom.