The Gift of Technology

Technology has really taken a big leap in the past 62 years. Why do I say 62 years? That’s because I’ve been around for 62 years! Yes, I’m a geezer. Everyday I am amazed at all of the new things that are being introduced. Much of it has left me in the dust as far as being able to understand it all. Heck, when I was young, Tinker Toys were high tech. These days Ipods and Nintendo Wii Systems have captured the hearts and minds of grandchildren everywhere.

If we older folks (geezers like me) don’t attempt to keep up with advancing technology, it’s likely we will soon encounter difficulty understanding and communicating with our kids and grandkids. Challenging as seems, it can be done. It may take us a little longer, but with patience and perseverance we can prevail. This past Christmas our grandkids got a Wii from their Mom & Dad. I kind of wonder if the parents wanted it as much as the kids did. Well, grandma and I had a ball playing all the games on it. In fact, grandma wanted to buy one so I tried to talk her out of it on the way home. I convinced her that she could get her Wii “fix” when we visited the grandkids again. I think my logic worked, but why is she still checking the Best Buy ads every week?

Actually, I think all of this technology is good for the kids. They need to keep up with our changing world and realize that technology affects us in many aspects of our daily lives including how we make a living. The old days of standing at a punch press or on an assembly line are quickly disappearing. My only problem with all of this is that we have to keep technology and the gadgets that go along with it in perspective. Computers and cell phones are tools. They are things to make our lives easier, not more complicated. We get bombarded daily with commercials about the latest this or that in cell phone technology and are told that we need to “stay in touch”. HELLO OUT THERE! It’s just a telephone (well, perhaps it’s also a camera, PDA, game player, music player, etc., etc., etc.), but maybe not everyone in the family needs one. It’s called marketing, folks.

Yes, sometimes I miss the good old days when things were much simpler, but I should remember that my parents and grandparents probably felt the same way. So enjoy all the technology and try to keep up, but keep it all in perspective. Take your kids sledding or help them build a snowman. Give them the gift of your time to go along with the gift of technology.