Goto hovers around the streets again, listening to the various discussions being held and supplying people with is opinion about several topics. Then, he had a small spark of inspiration for a speech. He clears his throat and gets out the ol' soapbox. He stands upon the box and begins to speak to the crowd.

Often do I hear about the good old days, the olden times or 'back when this and that was better'. Were these things really better in these days? Have we truly lost a big chunk of standards, traditions and perhaps glory? Has slow erosion, build up over the years, taken it's toll on these things, or was it inspired by a sudden revolution in thought and action? Sometimes standards are dropped a bit to allow for easier rebuilding after a devastating wars. Were wars a contributing factor? 

Or is this perceived 'loss' actually an imagination; induced by a feeling of nostalgia? My bloodline has been in this country for almost a year, no where near enough to grasp this feeling of nostalgia and longing. Of course I  can only imagine about the world my ancestors describe in their journals, the joy they felt about how things were going. I think my ancestors wouldn't prefer the world I'm in above theirs; and maybe I would not appreciate theirs as much as I do mine.

Are we blinded by what our ancestor's told us about their world? Are the 'bad' details lost to us, forgotten in the affectionate recollection of how their world was?

To those who's ancestors have walked in these streets in the old days, I have some questions:

• What do you see as the 'Golden Age' for this things of ours? Did such a golden age even exist, or will it ever exist? What 'requirements' would needed to be fulfilled for it to be a golden age, according to you?
• What do you think was better in the old days? Be it standards, traditions, street presence, honor.. Anything. And conversely what do you think is better now? Maybe I can learn something new from these old ways.

Goto bows and steps off his box and waits, hoping that there are a few old bastards in the crowd willing to answer his questions.

Brielle was walking down the streets on her way to get her afternoon cup of coffee with a double dose of caffeine of course. She noticed Goto setting up his soapbox she knew he was about to start speaking. Usually interested in what he has to say Brielle made a quick detour and was able to get a front row spot, she sat back and listened as he questioned the Golden Days where standards were high and morals were better then the decline in which most speak of in today's world. 

This was quite intriguing to Brielle since she has always wondered the same thing, her ancestors only go back a couple of years now and from what she has read about things have only gotten better.

"Goto I agree with you I would love to know what makes this world today "worse" off then back in the Golden Days when apparently everything flourished without issues and things were just better. First though I need that cup of coffee, so I will be right back."

Brielle quickly ventures off to grab her coffee and hurries back waiting for someone with an extensively long ancestry history to come forward and enlighten us all.

Cin paused from her shopping. She set the bags down at her feet as she listened thoughtfully.

Interesting Goto.. Very interesting indeed.

While I believe that all eras hold good and bad traits it is usually the best ones that are passed along through generation to generation. However, the bad are not forgotten but rather left to lie.

Back when my line first started coming to these shores street speaking was mandatory to earn your button. While over time I realize this isn't entirely a great thing to be pushing but I firmly believe in this day and age it should be mandatory for leaders and most likely hands. I have spoken about this on another corner so I won't go into all of that again. Street speaking did however fall under the standards line for some time. We have seen many silent people authed and we are currently seeing leaders try to get it back to being better valued.

Respect is another aspect that I feel has slipped through the standards crack. While there are certain people that feel they should be given respect due to their ranks or roles within this world, they have done nothing to earn such. In fact there have been some that would make you want to despise their behavior. From antagonizing to rudeness and everything in between. Sure you should always be respectful (or civil if you are me) to people when you speak to them. I feel this should be regardless of rank or role. Someone once told me that just because you are in power today, doesn't mean you will be tomorrow. Tides change, wack backs and other unfortunate events do happen so you can't be too sure. Why does it hurt to not talk down to a lower rank? Just because they are lower ranked does not mean they do not have value.

Cin pauses to catch her breath momentarily.

I think you get my point. I don't see respect towards people in general as being something that was recently valued. Once again I do think that there has been a change in it and some people are working towards it.

I nearly forgot the joys of Loyalty. Not loyal just because you feel like it that day, but loyalty regardless. I have heard about so many people that have handed for a leader or was a Made Man in their family that have turned their backs and jumped over to the winning side. This is downright despicable to me. I hate it. I am glad to see that nowadays Made Man and higher are going down with their leaders more and more. This to me is a sign of some hope. Maybe loyalty will be more valued in the days to come.

As I have said though each era sees its downfalls and its strengths. There is no golden era to me. There is no perfect way of doing things nor is there a perfect way to anything. All the leaders are men and women just like you and me. To expect perfection is too high of a bar that will never be achieved. To expect better than the last reign is all I can personally hope for.

I hope that some things do continue to change and get better for our community. I would truly like to see that.

Cin grabbed her bags once more and started to head away.

Let the Rock break it down for you Goto. There was no golden age, there never has been. People who talk of the golden age do so like your Grandfather speaks about life when he was a kid. They look back through rose tinted glasses. Sure things where a lot different back then. The streets may have been a little busier, but there was a downside to it. Few people live to get their button. Few crews lasted a month. In fact, a crew making it a month was a joyous occasion. There were crews with 200 people living in them, so the streets where busier because it was the only way you could stand out. But then people with slightly more education or who thought they were smarter would come out and tear you a new asshole, cos you said too instead of to, or because english wasn't your first language.

Training a gun was a lot harder, 2 to 300 kills was considered a titan killing cannon. There were no MIAs or durdens, just people racing to shoot you 20 seconds after you stepped of the boat. There was less money around, no fortifications, no bodyguards. But hey, we had New Orleans! If anything, the only good thing was families seemed to be tighter, closer. But again that may just be the rose tinted recollections of my ancestors and their affiliation with La Frat. Simply put, you have never had it so good. You rank quicker, live longer, have more money, can train your gun, don't have to pay extortionate fee's to fly into a Dons city, because people from Chicago aren't welcome in Detroit. God damn it, you even have the rank of Godfather now. If any age is the golden age, its today, and tomorrow, it will be tomorrow, and as long as life continues to improve, and people live longer, and crews last longer, and money flows into our pockets, the next day will always be the golden age.

Brielle listens intently as Chris_Vaughn speaks, shocked and almost appalled from what she was hearing from the way this world was in the past. She waited patiently for Chris to finish speaking...

"So what it sounds like to me and correct me if I'm wrong yes the values of the past may have been a bit better then they are today if you are comparing them both but it sure as hell seems that the lifestyle any more is leaps and bounds better. Having to worry about being shot and killed as soon as you step off the boat is kind of frightening to say the least. Welcome to the country of the free now here is a bullet with your name on it, oh wait we don't even know your name so here is a bullet just because of that. I for one am sure glad I have "grown up" in today's world."

Thinking about the what is was like living in the past sends a chill through her bones, Brielle steps back from the crowd to collect her thoughts for a moment.

Phantom wandered through the streets, he caught a man standing up on a soapbox in the corner of his eye. The man was about to speak, he cleared his throat before speaking to the masses. Phantom listened on along with others who stopped in their track to listen to the subject on hand. The man who was known as Goto addressed the streets about the old days versus the new. Phantom waited until the Goto was finished speaking and he stepped down off the soap box. Phantom cleared his throat similarly to Goto and began to deliver his opinion on the matter.

"When you read your ancestor diaries entries you get a strong nostalgic feeling, you read the stories over and over again reminiscing about the past events which your ancestors had lived. However anyone who still has older family members, they all talk fondly of the roaring 20’s. The golden age will certainly exist, whether it is before your time or during your lifetime.  But the golden age is definitely up for dispute, everyone’s opinion will differ on the subject. I feel most people’s golden age will be when their ancestors done the best in this world of ours. But when we remember back to our forefathers era most of us only remember the good times. The nostalgia blocks our bad memories out leaving us to believe the olden days were better.  

 I quite like your second question.  I remember when my forefather came into this line of work. He wasn’t stopped by every member that he passed and offered a place into their family. My forefather had to apply to a crew; it took a lot of questions before being accepted into the family.  He joined a very prestigious crew were he had to work his way up with hard work, loyalty and most of all donations.

This brings me to my own question. Are donations less frequent than they were years ago?

To follow up on what Chris was saying. I quite enjoyed reading my father diaries on their visits New Orleans and St Louis. As we know the Mafia empire changes and as other cities clamp down on illegal activities and we slowly move out of them. A small street presence was mandatory if you wanted to earn your button and that is a tradition that I think should keep carrying on for future generations to come."

Rory listened intently to the words of Goto. He reminisced about the days of old, as told through his ancestors journals. It was refreshing to see someone of such young blood be so passionate and emphatic in his speaking, much like the days of old.

An excellent choice of topic Goto. One that I have thought about at great length in recent days.  The golden age, for me cannot be definitively pin pointed. It is obviously largely dependent on who, or where you were at a certain point in your past.

My ancestors have achieved varying levels of success on these shores, but my most successful days were not always my favourite. To me, the old days were better due to people’s attitudes. Leaders were as bold as their suits and they weren’t afraid to exchange words, or blows. Made men were people of principle and honour, who stood up for their values, they didn’t have to cry to their leader every time they had a problem. They were capable and responsible enough to sort their own shit out.

In recent years we have seen these standards and attitudes deteriorate, especially amongst the young blood. Now young blood is always good, it helps keep the place fresh but it can often change the dynamics and principles of the wider world at large. Not that this is necessarily bad, but old timers are sometimes a little uncomfortable with change.

In my bloodlines absence from these shores, it appears that great deal has change has occurred. Current times, are much more like I remember from the old days. I’m not here to blow smoke up anyone’s arse but the no shit attitudes displayed by the current crop of Godfathers are much more like the stories of my ancestors, and to me, formulate a better world. I would happily go back to a time when made guys and above could be trusted to sort out their own issues, rather than having to be molly coddled by their leaders.

But that’s just my two cents.