But I miss the old days (1968 in this case) when the world was a big, mysterious place. The only analogy we have now in 2020 is space (but we're so far from "truly" discovering it.). I hope 2021 and the James Webb Telescope prove me wrong.
Maybe that's what off the beaten path is now: a path actually quite near.
The big picture guys from yesteryear are so focused on clearing out the old theories and are trying to nail in their own interpretations before they retire.
We need new princples to explore and the implications of a new branch of science or tech that will revitalize the world. I'm confident this century the very basics of something new will be laid out.
But I get the thought - there just was not so much communication and so much more limited understanding.
Perhaps we are safer world now, because of that increased communication.
Perhaps what bothers us now is finding out that everywhere is full of the same idiots :-)