4 things we never knew we needed, not so very long ago
It's amazing how spoiled we are in this day and age of technology. Kids may wonder how we ever survived in the dark ages of the 1970's and 80's! Here's a few examples of things many have come to feel they simply can't live without..
Cell Phones
Hooray! Now you can be connected to everyone you know 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, not to mention full blown access to the internet. You can even keep tabs on junior every minute he's away from you. I've noticed lately that when I carry my cell, I'm mindlessly filling in spare time by texting, checking e-mail, or updating social network status's. Sometimes it gets to be a bit much, and I will purposely leave the electronic ball and chain at home for the afternoon, or at the very least.. turn it off. When I do so, it feels as if a weight has been lifted and I can better relax. Nothing breaks the peacefulness of a 5 mile walk like getting bombarded by texts.
Don't get me wrong.. I'm not knocking cell phones, and I too have been guilty of "checking in" on my kids while they're out for the evening just to make sure everything is okay. It's just such a sharp contrast to the days when I used to leave the house on on my bicycle on Saturday morning, and not be seen again until dinner time. Cell phones are also invaluable in emergencies like accidents and car breakdowns. I once had to walk ten miles on a busy interstate to a pay phone because I had a flat tire. I don't want my kids to have to do that. Cell phones are a God send in many ways, but I can see people replacing much of the real human connection we used to have, for the super fast and easy means of communication we now enjoy with our smart phones.
Flat Screen TV's
This is one piece of technology I've always been excited about! I have a 40 inch screen television I carried out of the store with one hand. I have an old 32 inch screen in the house that nearly gives me a hernia every time I lift it. I wonder how many people have blown out their backs, or have broken their toes over the years while moving around TV's that weigh 60 pounds or more.
Razors with five.. Count em' FIVE blades!
If you would have told me as a young man that we'd someday have razors with five blades, I would have laughed my head off. Really.. FIVE Blades?!? Until you personally have to shave every day, this might sound like overkill. I love these razors, and can't believe how safely and closely they shave. I shave with an old single blade adjustable razor that you buy replacement blades for. No matter how careful I am, or how slowly I shave.. I occasionally end up having to put at least one or two pieces of toilet paper on my face to stop some bleeding. I can't say that I've ever cut myself shaving with razors like the Gillette Fusion razor. If they weren't so dang expensive, it would probably be my go-to razor. However.. I'm cheap, and I don't mind slowing my pace of life for fifteen minutes to get a nice close shave with my forty year old adjustable razor.
I would have killed to have Google when I was in school! We had a complete set of encyclopedias from the late 1950's that I would scour through to do research for school assignments. If they didn't have the info I was looking for, it was off to the library to search through a newer set. Once you found the info you needed, you had to copy the info (using a pen or pencil kids) to paper. Now in mere seconds, you can look up info using Google, copy it, paste it, and print it out! The ease of obtaining information like this makes me wonder how grammar, spelling, accuracy of history, and literacy as whole, might suffer in the decades to come. I swear though.. it's great to get an answer to practically any question that pops into your head, in mere seconds.
I could go on for days like this! While the good old days were indeed good.. we've made a lot of changes for the better as well. Technology can be a blessing and a curse. As long as we collectively try to improve our life for the better while keeping in mind the long term effects, we should be okay. Easier said than done at this point, but we can keep our fingers crossed.