Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:18-19).
Ah, the good ole days when life was simpler and when problems were not as difficult and less complicated. We human beings seem to have a recurring problem with amnesia about the past. It's not that there were no wonderful days in past years, but we tend to look upon the past with rose colored glasses that filter out the less than perfect moments. In the wilderness, the people of Israel reconsidered slavery in Egypt as something that really wasn't all that bad—at least they were well fed—even if it was for the purpose of completing Pharaoh’s back-breaking labor. In exile, being surrounded by the enemy in one's own land just a few years before and the trouble caused by Israel’s idolatry and disregard for the law of Moses now seems tolerable. In times of difficulty one can long for the good ole days in a way that we forget that the good ole days really weren't all that good. The temptation to create an idyllic past is strong indeed.
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