Technology Will Save Us All

I remember when I was younger. There were always those "old people" going on and on about how much simpler life used to be. They had no use for the new fangled technology of the day. "Answering machine!" they'd say. "If its important they will call back." The ladies of the time didn't trust a microwave oven as far as they could throw them. And would be quick to point out that a good home cooked meal was far superior than anything that could be cooked in one of those contraptions. "That's crazy" I'd say. People just don't have the time anymore and these things make things faster, easier, and better. Its funny, I can still remember them actually HAND writing letters to each other and waiting days or even weeks for a response.  Grandma, theres E - Mail now, you can write a letter and get an answer back in minutes!  Why would you want to mail anything?  You know what they say, you cant teach an old dog, new tricks.  So true.  And the world moves on.

All that was just twenty or thirty years ago.  The advancements since that time are truly mind baffling.  Cars that can park themselves, TVs that can record things you didn't even know you wanted to watch, and the Internet has gone from spreadsheets and E mail, to social networking sites.  Everything is faster, easier, better. Even  that young boy I was back then would be impressed with how far we've come.

The problem is that young boy is gone.  And in his place I seem to have found an "old person".  As time moves on I get more and more tired of the so called progress, and long to be back in simpler times.  Its only now that I see what they were trying to say to me.  That one of the great things about not having an answering machine was, you didn't get backed up with twenty people you need to "call back" about things you don't really need to talk about.  That not having a microwave meant that when you came home from school the house was filled with the incredible smell of sauce that had been simmering all day, or cookies being baked fresh in the oven.  Not to mention the bonding that a Mother used to enjoy teaching her daughters how to cook a great meal.  And waiting for your letters to come wasn't a burden. A letter from a friend far away was a wonderful surprise in the mailbox.  Something to be enjoyed while drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table, and listening to a favorite "album".  The letter  was also, never less than three or four pages long.  When was the last time a friend wrote you an e mail that long?  And if they did , how could enjoy reading up on his or her latest news with a "bling" or a "pop" or a "blloooop" every five seconds.

At the risk of being dated and sounding old, I do miss the old days.  I kinda liked answering a phone and never knowing who it was.   I kinda liked, having to hurry home because I knew if I missed "Happy Days" , I wouldn't get a second chance at it.  I know I liked my Mom's slow cooked sauce.  And I'm pretty sure I liked seeing someone I haven't seen in a while and  needing to "catch up".  Actually talking to them face to face and hearing about the things going on in their lives having NOT already read it all in their Facebook posts.

The craziest thing about all of this is, I know when my Son;s are my age they will be looking and living in a world that I can not even fathom right now.  It will have long since moved on from me, and be making them long for the simple days of Blackberries,  cars that only parked themselves, and the taste and smell  of a good old fashion Hot Pocket.  It is just how things go, faster, easier, better.