Old timers in the present
Each person probably has a personal way of dealing with the mental shift most of us are going through at present. In my mind, faces, names and voices of folks I used to associate with in the pre-internet era are coming to the surface.
In a conversation on a radio programme in the not too distant past, someone was mentioned who used to be regarded as a patriarchal figure to many Londoners of African and Caribbean descent. Back in the day, it seemed as if he had a voice that was heard by many. To my surprise, the radio discussion revealed the fact that he felt undervalued and disempowered, even in his heyday.
Other guys who gave the impression of being influential and powerful back then are still around. It is clear that energy and vitality are precious resources that should be used wisely. Now that things are quiet, one can reflect on the effect that time passing can have on all of us.
Occasionally, I see some of those faces from earlier times online. Interaction on social media has a way of levelling out the impact that personalities can make on others.
For better or worse, the terms of engagement are different nowadays.
