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John D. Rockefeller And Modern Times

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Some people say “those were the days” and talk about the past as a great time -- a simpler time, a more innocent time, without all the distractions and complications of modern life. Whenever I hear someone rambling on and on like that, I just shake my head and laugh. Let me tell you about modern times, or better yet, let’s call them “our times.” Before I talk about myself, let me tell you about someone else. John D. Rockefeller lived from 1839 to 1937. Those were some of the old times that other people called “the good times” -- mostly after the Civil War but before the Great Depression. To call Rockefeller a business success would be, shall we say, something of an understatement. Eventually, his company, Standard Oil, was broken up into 34 …show more content…

Their parents picked them up and drove off. “My GPS is so slow!” I overheard. Rockefeller would have to use a map, and he was dead by the time that GPS systems were even thought of. Cars were only invented in 1886 (or when Rockefeller was 47), yet they only went 16 miles per hour -- slower than an elephant! Today, our cars are faster, cheaper, and better in every way, as cars have reached top speeds of 270 miles per hour! After dinner, sensing that the rest of my family was bored, I shouted “Let’s fly to Europe!” Two hours later, we were at the airport boarding our flight. Just kidding! And yet, we very well could do that - and cross the Atlantic in roughly 5 hours. It would take Rockefeller a whole week to get there by a boat, just sitting around while he could have been cracking new business deals to add to his vast amount of wealth. As for flying, that was unavailable for most of his life, as the first trans-Atlantic passenger flights did not occur until the 1930s. So, were the old days really the good days? I’ve told you the story of one day. An ordinary day, but a great day. We do things now better and faster than we ever could before. And I bet my day isn’t too different from yours. People claim that the past was so much better. However if you look at individual things, now is much better in almost every aspect than then. If anyone asks me, my answer will be: our days are the greatest

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