Firenze,
The only thing that doesn't change is change. Nostalgia is useless because we cannot go back in some imaginary time.
We need to accept where we stand right now and then orient our vision to the character of people. People make soceities not an imaginary place where freedom is about pubs and clubs, and people do not know how to be responsible with their freedom (and I assume that we did lack the wisdom or we wouldn't be here, nor would US be where it is today -supposedly free, but ultimately highly prisoned-).