The Good Old Days

I left Chicago sitting comfortably in a pressurized aluminium tube. I had a glass of wine, a reasonably decent meal, watched a movie, slept for a couple of hours and arrived in London seven hours later. We reached a ground speed of 680 MPH, thanks to a 109 MPH tail wind. We flew at 37,000 feet and the temperature outside was minus 54 degrees. The marvels of modern technology still astound me. I’m writing this part of this column on a computer in my friend’s family home. Their home is Poole Farm, in the hamlet of Ash Thomas near the town of Tiverton in County of Devonshire, England. The juxtaposition fascinates me: modern technology in the lap of antiquity. This farm was in the Doomsday Book created for William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The book listed all of the property in England. He wanted to be sure he gave everyone an equal opportunity to pay taxes after he conquered them. Wonderful man. I’m writing in the portion of the house built in the eleventh century. I’m linked to the rest of the modern world through the Internet. We have become so habituated to technology that most of us wouldn’t consider these facts very interesting. What a shame. We live in a wondrous time and yet I have the feeling that many people don’t feel the wonder. I can remember a time when things were very different – before personal computers – cell phones and the Internet – and yes, even before television. We didn’t live in virtual connection with everyone else on the planet. It seems ironic to me that when we weren’t all connected by technology we knew each other better. In those days, people spent a lot more time talking to each other. I remember wonderful family get-togethers. I would lay on the floor and listen to the old-timers tell tall tales. It made me feel like I belonged to something. I felt connected. I felt at home. I remember reading a report back in the 80’s. The one issue that stuck with me was that “technological advancement will bring sociological blues”. That was one of the most prescient statements that I’ve ever read. I believe that the societal vacuum being left by modern technology is causing a lot of society’s problems today. It is a fact. There is no progress without a price. Transitioning to my recent Thanksgiving with my family in Atlanta; most of us spent at least some time staring at screens. Computer screens, game screens, TV screens. Of course, we talked, laughed and hugged. We played games with my grandchildren and cooked and ate wonderful meals. Some took boat rides. Some went shopping. And some hit the driving range. But when we had idle time, most of us went back to the screens. I don’t mean to say that we ignored each other. We didn’t. But we did seem to feel comfortable, even in the midst of loved ones, when we were staring into our screens. I even developed cell phone envy. Mine only makes phone calls. My family’s phones did everything. I admit it. It is seductive to have the whole world at your finger tips. I’m back home now. I love and miss the people I’ve spent time with during the last few weeks. But I’m happy to be home. Just a short respite and I’m off in another aluminium tube for my third grandson’s Christening in Oregon. I really do like modern technology. But I miss the old days too. I remember the first plane ride I took when I was fifteen years old. I left Marion Airport cramped into a yellow Piper Cub two-seater. We reached a ground speed of around 90 MPH. We flew at about 1000 feet. I could see the whole county from up there. Who could have imagined the marvels to come and the price that we’re paying?