Connected
Those of us who remember the
Beatles have known a world that was rather disconnected if you go by today’s
standards. We had television and the telephone to keep us connected to the
world, and our friendships were nurtured by direct interaction, not via a
screen, whether large or small.
Today,
the whole world is connected. Whereas there was a day not so long ago when long
distance direct-dialing became a reality, today we can call half-way around the
world at the speed of light using a hand-held device that once was the stuff of
science-fiction. Whereas we used to write letters—actual letters—by hand, we
have gotten used to emails that are so much quicker and efficient but so much less
personal.
As we
all know, things change and evolve all the time, and we have gotten used to
tons of inventiveness as we made our way in the world over the years. And we
learned about computers and how to connect to the world at a time when it was
an unprecedented step. And the many constantly evolving hand-held communication
devices have also joined the parade.
I
question whether it is really important to be in constant communication with
the rest of world. My grandchildren love social networking because it keeps
them connected to their friends and what they are doing. In my view, if you
want to know what your friends are doing, you simply pick up the phone and call
them. Of course, that simply shows how far behind the times I am, I was told
recently. Nobody calls anymore, everybody texts.
Life is
changing in ways that may make us worry about the future for our grandchildren.
Will they forget how to write a proper sentence after spending so much time
texting, an activity where numbers stand in for words and vowels are all but
forgotten? Will they have problems interacting
with people without a screen in front of them?
One
thing we have all learned along the way is that nothing is ever perfect, but we
humans learn to adapt to whatever we encounter. Every generation has its own
challenges, so our grandchildren will be living in a world different from ours
in many respect and they will make the most of it, just as we made the most of
our lives. They will simply wonder how we could have been so far behind the
times, just as, at some point, we thought our parents and grandparents were.
And
life goes on!
