The world has become a different place. Even 20 years ago, when I was first married, no one had email or cell phones, and I can't remember kids playing a lot of video games. Technology, along with the wide variety of options for entertainment, the vast number of sports team options and the kinds of work hours people keep have turned our world upside down.
No longer are there family dinners or times at home as a family. We struggle to keep up with our calendars and many carry a cell phone as a third appendage, with a non-stop flow of texts, emails, tweets and FB updates. It's rare to go out to dinner and see a couple or family talking. Usually, one or more at the table are texting or playing a game on their phone.
While waiting for a friend to join me at a coffee shop, I watched a couple of friends, phones in hand, texting other people during their time together. There was a smattering of conversation amidst the texting. It's becoming common place for kids ages 3-18 to play a sport year round. Indoor leagues, out door leagues, and elite teams. Family's spend every weekend in the car going from game to game, and stopping at the fast food drive in in between.
Children in this age have learned to value constant entertainment, a parade of sleepovers and continuous technological stimulation. Their brains are hard-wired to this muli-tasking, stress inducing pace. Meanwhile, the number of cases of depressed people, prescriptions for ADD and anxiety and depression number more than ever.
What will happen if this pace continues? Are we reaching new heights or are we on a downward spiral? I believe it's time to take a step back, and reflect on what used to be and what life has become. It's not to late to pull your self and your family back from the point of no return in these modern times. Vintage values can be kept alive as we live out productive lives in this place in time. If we don't...we risk loosing our values all together.
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