Define Eral Perspective: eral perspective, for this purpose, shall be the phenomenon that seems to frequently eminate from many people as they age that seems to blind them from accepting current reality as if time should not have progressed.
Nostalgia differs in that it is distorted reflection of the past, but, perhaps, part of 'eral perspective' lies in a distorted view of the past.
Mom seems to be affected by eral perspective. She often asks 'what's happening to the world today' as if it's worse today than during the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, the Korean War, presidential assasination, the Vietnam War, presidential resignation, out-of-control inflation, the Iranian hostage situation, discovering we're selling arms to terrorists to assist them in reigning terror, record deficit spending, and on and on . . .
Is she just more aware of problems in the world today because of the technological advances? That doesn't seem logical to me. We have what we have; they had what they had. They just had to gather their news from fewer sources, but to presume 'more sources' means 'more awareness' seems to have the flaw by presuming people read those 'more sources.'
Did she feel safer because there were older generations there to protect her? This seems much more likely to me. As children, we are insulated from the world's problems by our parents and grandparents. Our great-grandparents may still be alive, but they also need caring for; they are not effective for protection. We are critical of our parents as children, and commonly promise to not do what they do to our children.
Time progresses to the next generation. Our grandparents now need care, but our parents are still there to help protect us. We've gained some 'wisdom of experience,' and become parental. Our parents now rely on us to help protect those on the poles of life. Our children promise to not do to their children that which we do to them.
Time progresses to the next generation. Our parents, the only people who have always been there for us, now need help. Our children have their children to tend to. We've now been around long enough to realize that we are slipping into the generation that needs help. We start questioning why we must die, and wonder how we will die; really, we hope that we are the exception to death. That fear is added to 'current reality' in addition to everything else that has always happened. This may cause an exponential fear, or it may just be additional fear.
Mom is now in the generation that needs help again. Is she really longing for the world to be safer, or just to have the opportunity to do it again while she watches her great-grandchildren promise to not do to their children what her grandchildren do to them.
She has the wisdom that can only come from aging, that of experience or something closely related: it boils down to the 'wisdom gained from having been there.'
Similarly, Mrs. Hutchins seems unable to release the past to live in the current reality. She does things that made economic sense long ago, but doesn't make the same sense today.
Both desire something in common: no change.
Is it just the fear of death (growing old) that causes them to hang onto such things as old mayonaise jars and typewriters?
This is far too narrow, and far too subjective, to lead to any meaningful conclusion, but I need to watch for signs of this in myself and try to recognize signs of it in others.
I also need to google some combinations to see if others have noticed this type of blindness, and what they think it may be.
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