What is odd though is I'd say the world has changed more in the past 10 years than it did the first 17 years of my life. Most of it having to do with technology and what happened the day of 9-11. Something as simple as communication has changed forever, we do not have to actually speak to each other anymore, we simply type. It's sad that picking up a landline and actually having a conversation seems nostalgic to many of us.
It kills me to go to a restaurant and see families staring at their cellphones like drunk zombies instead of actually engaging in conversation. Yet, when horrible things happen we wonder how and why? Though, when we do not even talk to each other, how are we supposed to know what's going on in each other's lives?
Notice I keep saying "we", I am just as guilty as anyone else, though I do believe there are certain places cell phones shouldn't be; the dinner table, church, funerals, etc.There is also no need for wonder anymore, simply type in your question and you have the answers, which is a blessing and a curse in the same
Living before 9-11 is included in this because I see the constant fear our country lives in and all the crazy precautions and regulations there are now. Kids who lived or grew up post 9-11 will never know that sense of calm which saddens me.
Another issue that scares me is the amount of crazy people in the world. I roamed the neighborhood on my bike during the early 90's...now if I had a child I'd be terrified. There are constantly stories of kidnap, murder, lurking sex offenders, it's frightening.
I loved and still love The Wonder Years growing up, which depicts a typical American family in the late 60's early seventies. What's odd as a kid I related to the show so much, and what the world was then didn't seem much different than the one I was living in the 90's. I'm sure that many kids now can't relate to that image anymore.
My generation grew up with the idea that we could become anything we want; go to college, get a degree, become a millionaire, superstar, heck whatever you want. So we did, we went to college, got degrees, then worked at a local restaurant to start paying back our debt. Granted, this was not the case for everyone, but I know many friends who ended up going back to college for a 2nd degree because all of the "jobs" we were promised growing up were no where to be found.
The cool thing about my generation is we have had to find our own way. Many of us crave the nostalgia and comfort of the world as it used to be, so we bought record players, because we know they actually sound better than any mp3. We grow our own garden, because we know eating things from a paper bag are actually bad for us. We make things from old materials, noticing there's a reason things like wood and glass outlast plastic.
Many of us are dreaming of our past, our childhoods, and a time when relationships were stronger. The goal for my generation is to not leave the former world behind, to incorporate things built well, into the current world. Maybe we were taught that the world could be ours, what's so wrong with that?
To all generations out there, a little advice: read books, educate yourselves, plant something, put down your phone for candy crush and pick it up to call someone. Listen to a record on vinyl, and compare it to your iPod. Make something from scratch vs. out of the box. See the beauty that is still left in this world.
The world can be yours, as long as you can open your mind.
-Meg
