It's hard not to live in the past these days. At the risk of pining for the good old days, I miss more and more some of the things I previously thought would always be there. Newspapers, for example. Not only do we not rely on them for news, I have come to call my local paper the $3.00 crossword puzzle. Now, I could argue for retaining local and national papers, but most of the people who would benefit from that argument would never read or hear of it.
At some point, all of us over 50 have faced the reality that technology has mapped out our future and left many of the familiar and favorite things we came to depend on in its wake. But at what cost?
People seem distracted and speedy these days. That might explain why I see so many people drive right through Stop signs. One of the streets in my neighborhood almost requires drivers with a clear right of way to slow to a stop when they come to a corner where side streets have clear Stop signs. Not doing so will often result in a near miss and /or collision.
The impatience that comes from being online so much impacts many other forms of social interaction as well. We want it and we want it now, whatever it may be. In my neck of the woods, it is possible to go through a day running errands, eating, purchasing needed products, and "relaxing" without getting out of a car. That can't be good. I wonder how long it will be before a car will be on the market that features a toilet of some sort. People would buy that, no doubt.
Am I grousing? Not really, just recognizing that the life changes we are now experiencing have losses as well as gains. Unfortunately, when something we like goes, it seldom returns. Last week I saw an ad for a tee-shirt with a rotary dial pictured on the front. It is a mysterious-looking device to the younger generations.
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