Learning From Old-Fashioned Ways

There are lessons to be learned from old-fashioned ways.

Recently, at a family gathering, my wife found a small book about the history of our local area. We learned some fascinating stories about the first settlers to the local area in the early 1800s.

For example, I never knew our main local roads were built upon the roots of buffalo trails. Hunters used the trails to follow the buffalo. Eventually, the first wagons forged their way through as settlers built homes and began a community.

Traveling those familiar routes, we like to imagine what it must have looked like 250 years ago. What must life have been like for the families who lived back then? Although modern-day has given us many conveniences, there are many valuable time-honored skills preserved through the ages and widely used today. I think there’s a lot we can learn from the folks of past centuries.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 says “What has been is what will be.” Take some time to learn a piece of local history, and see what it teaches you. We probably won’t take up buffalo hunting, but don’t assume the ways of those before us are outdated.

Sometimes, the old-fashioned way just works better.

As always, may you find joy in the simple things. This is Marlin with Plain Values magazine. Learn more about our work, and subscribe, at plainvalues.com.