I was thinking today about how little I watch TV. Except when I was a boy, when TV was the rage and we all watched too much (Too much early TV may be the explanation/cause for my dull brain and lack of ambition) TV. I think there were so fewer entertainment options then that TV reigned supreme This fast paced modern age is catching up to and passing me by. I can tell this because it changes me so fast and often. In some cases things or activities that used to be favorites of mine are no longer a part of my routine. Today I don't do a lot of things I used to do, mostly because the technologies of today have made those old favorites obsolete.
Take for example a drive in my car. What I don't do anymore so is perhaps as much as what I now do when driving. I used to unlock my car with the key I would insert into the door. Not anymore. Now I use that electronic button that automatically locks or unlocks the door. I don't roll my windows up or down with those hand cranks that were next to each door. I have auto buttons to do the same function. I don't turn on the radio to check the time anymore because all cars have long had clocks on the dashboard. I used to pump the gas I put into my car. Now in this state all gas must be pumped by attendants. I even remember the days of hand signals by the driver out of the window instead of auto turn signals. Hmmm I wonder if it's still legal to use ones hand to show whether the driver will turn or stop?
I know these examples are about an insignificant change, my driving routine. But they are a microcosm of how much our daily lives change and how fast it happens to us. It shows how little control modern humans have over even their routines. No wonder humankind is now so confused about how to behave. But the changes we make through each single passage of time are mostly positive ones for the achievement of ease of doing daily tasks. Yet, they do disrupt our routines, our sense of stability and our natural desire for consistency in life. What a trade-off this is. There is both a positive (improved ways of doing) and a negative (the loss of the familiar, comforting routines that help make for a contented life).
I'll leave it to the philosophers to tackle the question of how so many simple changes, so fast affects our psyche. But it might be fun for you and I to name some of the "things I don't do anymore'. Here's a few from me that come to my mind after a few minutes of brainstorming. I no longer..........
- type on a typewriter
- watch black and white TV or listen to am radio
- carry or use handkerchiefs (damn those Kleenex tissues!)
- wear a bow tie
- buy airline tickets off line or use a travel agent
- spend hours each day "doing nothing"
- pay most my bills by regular postal mail
- use portable heaters or fans
- play board games
- save those aluminum coffee cans
- use a fine point ink pen with an ink well
- fix broken things
- listen to a CD boom box play old CD's
- watch a video cassette
- use a doctor without insurance paying (some of the bill)
- mopping a floor with a wet mop and bucket
- frying chicken at home instead of buying it at a fast food place
- dialing a rotary phone
- using a TV antenna that is attached to the back of the set
- reading an encyclopedia
- sending a telegraph message
- reprimanding children who misbehave in public
- having camera pictures printed in paper
- hand write snail mail pen pal letters
- re warn things on the stove instead of in the microwave
- hang clothes to dry on a line outside the house
- say hello to every stranger that passes me on the street
Ok, that's a short list from me. What are some additional things are those you don't do anymore in your life?
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