I was thinking this morning about how much things have changed in the world since my grandparents were born. From horse and carriage to driverless vehicles, telegraph to cell phones, the advent of movie and newsreels to live streams and Zoom, steam ships to supersonic jets, everything has changed. They lived through Spanish Influenza, WWI, the Great Depression and WWII, all before we knew the outcome, when everything must have seemed so uncertain and topsy turvy, when money was scarce and inflation was rampant, and then into the heady days of post WWII affluence and excess and the dawn of the Boomer generation.
It is easy right now, in these days of uncertainty, to imagine the world has never been so fragile. There are many things stressing the planet right now, and all the people on it. These crises are genuine, and need the immediate attention of experts who can actually solve the problems, regardless of the cause.
But I think it is important to realize that a planet in crisis is the norm, and somehow, some way, the planet has survived and people have continued to live their lives as best they could. It is easy to give up, to think things are such a mess we cannot overcome them, to lose hope.
But just as leaves have to fall and winter is needed for a time of rest, spring always brings hope of fresh new things to come. From desperation comes innovation.
Times are changing. I have marveled at how my mother started life in a home with no electricity and now uses a cell phone and the internet, and all the incredible inventions in between. She has seen so much in her life, and embraced the changes along the way. I think some day my grandchildren will marvel that our phones once were attached a wire and hung on the wall, and to listen to music you had to have a record and play it on a big turntable. We had to wait for each episode of a new season of our television programs, and we could not see a movie whenever we wanted because they were limited and exciting to wait for.
Every generation complains about the ones that follow. Cultural and societal changes cause misunderstandings and gaps that simply cannot be bridged. But as we lurch forward into the future, I think its really important to have respect for those who came before, and for those who come after. Each generation are temporary caretakers of this world, and our only legacy is what we leave to future generations.
What legacy will the 21st century leave to the generations to come? I think it is a question worth asking yourself. And then acting on. We may not be able to solve the problems of the world, but we can change lives, one person at a time in our world, starting with ourselves.
Embrace love. Find hope in the small things. Accept change. Create beauty. Seek out small joys. Remain positive. These are things I see in the elderly people I know who I most want to be like.
Life goals.
