Interview with great Uncle Tony

hey Uncle Tony would you mind me asking you a few questions about what makes life meaningful for my history class?
Sure if I can be helpful and my answers are good enough.

1. What would you view as a good and meaningful life?
My experience I would say that you shouldn’t abuse your body and have a variations of good foods to keep you in good condition and don’t abuse our body like drinking to much liquor. Don’t do things that would harm you. Like taking care of a car.

2. What would you say as the most meaningful thing in your life is and how would you say it has changed?

What’s meaningful to me is my family and to have a family. Children and relatives that would keep you going. And if your alone and don’t have family you don’t have incentive to live.
My 90th birthday it was a surprise and so many people that you see and having my son from California. So they would see their relatives. I was happy Jim was their and so many people that I haven’t seen for a while.

When I was younger I didn’t have family but had sisters and brothers. And enjoyed. It was a different way of life back then big families were more popular but now you can’t have big families cause today it’s too costly.

If it has changed then what would you say has influenced this change in your answer?
It hasn’t changed just the people that make up the family has.

3. Do you think your life is more meaningful then others because you have lived longer? Do you view anyone's lives as more meaningful to you and how would you make that decision?

My life is more meaningful for me but when you get older people get annoyed because they have to help you and support you. But my family is very good about that. I get annoyed that I think I’m living too long. But they have to be involved with me and their they have to be involved with their own families and I don’t’ want to be a burden on them. I thank god that I’m still able to get around. So I’m not too much of a burden. As you get older you can brake bones and be an invalid and be a burden on your family. But it’s great to be around at my age. And I have a very good family. Makes you happy to have people around like that.

No I feel that my relatives and my family are all equal to me and I love them all. But you reminisce on the people that have all ready gone and you miss those that left us. Buts all a part of life.


4. What advice if any would you give on how to live a good and meaningful life? And do you think you are qualified to give such information?

You have to understand that you can’t be abusive to yourself to have a long and meaningful life. You have to watch your habits. You have to live a clean and meaningful life. I’m not a medical person and not a dr. but all I m saying is that if you do what your supposed to do your supporting yourself to have a longer life. But if you abuse yourself your life will be shorter and you will be less happy with life.

5. Would you say that the definition of how to live a good and meaningful life has changed much and is the change good or bad?

Life hasn’t changed. It’s the situation of the environment and condition in the world has changed. In my day you didn’t many opportunities and with a big family everybody had to put time in to help the family. Today you have a situation today that you have to have 2 parents to work. So financially it’s a difficult situation. As a child you have a better life cause you don’t have the things that most kids have now. They get more and more stuff without even working for it. Like when I was a child we made toys and got boxes and put things together to make a scooter. But today they don’t’ do that. It’s living a different life. It’s not better it’s a different situation the world has changed. You have to find means and ways to contend with it to support your way of life.