People nowadays have almost forgotten how to be people.

Back in the old days of "wine and roses" folks for the most part were neighbors: they knew how to get along with each other.

But, that was then, and now is now.

And now the rough edge drags, sort of galls the old bod, so to speak.

My buddy, Buck, said when he finished law school, "did you know you could sue anybody anytime for anything?"

That was back in the late 40s and at that time it was almost unheard of to parade a friend, a relative, or even an acquaintance before the courts and enter a greivance against them.

So, the response to Buck's question was, "I guess you know what you're talking about since you're learned in the law, but who the heck wants to sue anybody?"

The dockets were almost bereft of personal suits of that nature at that time, but boy, what a difference a small handful of decades can make.

Look at us now, in this "enlightened" era; observe how crammed

to overflowing courtroom dockets are and how crowded to overflowing prison cells have become.

They are loaded with people, accused of crimes from harassments of all varieties-sexual, personal, verbal, implied and you name it-to rights violations (civil et al), all the way up to murder.

It has gotten so ridiculous that one feels constrained to avoid even looking at an individual of the opposite gender for fear of litigation.

The "in" thing now is to rat on your parents or other close kin, especially if they are considered to be of the celebrity variety, write a book about their deviate behavior, and just sit back and watch the old bank account grow.

It's (the above) a sad commentary on life, and the quality thereof as it stands today.

But, there's still hope, folks. The human race may survive in spite of itself.

After all, it always has come through when all hope seemed to be reaching the vanishing point.

The odds lean heavily in a negative direction right now, or so it would seem.

However, people can become people again if they'll simply join hands, get into the same harness and pull together in a forward direction.

That is what your Greenville Advocate is designed for: to work in concert with all service organizations and our local governments and institutions.

We're here for your convenience and at your service.

After all, people really do need people.