My uncle used to tell stories about death when he was growing up (30s or 40s). A line he would use always sticks either me, “back then, when you got sick, you died.”
He would go on to say just how common it was to know a child or adult that died. It was just a normal part of existence.
It used to be that if someone said "Jeff got in a car accident," it usually meant that Jeff was dead or disabled for life.
Today, it simply means that Jeff is going to be 45 minutes late for work.
Since I lived in the "surely dead" era, I still react that way if someone mentions someone getting in a wreck. People must assume I'm upset over Jeff's surely totaled car (something that didn't always happen in the olden days).
He would go on to say just how common it was to know a child or adult that died. It was just a normal part of existence.