An Old Versus Modern (Postmodern?) Friday Five

Singing Owl has posted the Friday Five with some interesting questions. It is going to make me think because I am getting to the age when I am beginning to really think about what has changed in the world

Yesterday I had two separate conversations in which people were musing about how much change is occurring. The WW II generation, of which my mom is a part, went from horse and buggy to automobiles, saw the lessening, or even the end of many diseases, went from widespread use of kerosene lamps and outhouses (in the country, and most folks were rural)) to a totally electrified and plumbed society. The fastest means of communication was a telegraph. The second conversation--gulp--was about MY generation and how much change occurred in the last half of the 20th century. The person said his 13 year old had not seen a vinyl record album until a few days before, couldn't remember a time without cell phones, and on and on.

As for the questions!

1. What modern convenience/invention could you absolutely, positively not live without?
Ooooh, this would be a toss up between my laptop and my cell phone because I have a Blackberry. I get my email on my phone. I couldn’t live without my car either—I would consider that a modern convenience as we did not have an automobile until I was well into grade school. They were impossible to buy right after WWII.

2. What modern convenience/invention do you wish had never seen the light of day?

IPods. Why? I am tired of people listening to the things rather than carrying on a conversation with strangers.

3. Do you own a music-playing device older than a CD player?
I have cassette players. Yes, more than one which I use either in the car or when walking when I want to listen to a book on tape that I can still get from the library. I still have a turn table on my stereo set but we don’t use it any more but we do use the radio part of the system. We still have some vinyl lp’s in the basement.

4. Do you find the rapid change in our world exciting, scary, a mix...or something else?

I can’t keep up with the technology. I need to spend some time with colleagues who understand the new stuff because I don’t understand the jargon used in the directions. Even the language used by Revgals on how to link flummoxes me. It doesn’t scare me; it irritates me and I feel dumb because I can’t keep up.

5. What did our forebears have that we have lost and you'd like to regain?

TRUTH! The Baby-Boomer tendancy to trivialize truth is really beginning to bug me. Granted, there is a wider understanding of point of view. But the human heart knows what is true and it drawn to it like we are drawn to good art, good music, beauty and love that is wholesome.

Bonus points if you have a suggestion of how to begin that process.

No, bonus point for me—I don’t know how to address this issue.