By Tina Erwin
Did you ever notice how hard we all hang on to the past? We cling to things as if moving into the future was a betrayal of what has gone before. Yet, moving into the future is not a choice. We’re going there, ready or not. The question is: are we entering that new element of time and space with a fear of the future or with a balanced view of the past and a sense of adventure for what lies ahead?
Some people are incapable of throwing anything out. Every container, box, envelope, card, letter, magazine, egg carton, rubber band, shipping box and packing material is dutifully kept. This type of personality believes that you never know when you are going to need one of these items. One woman had 250 cool whip containers under her sink. This same lady would never dispose of a single item listed above. When she died, the mountain left to her relatives to remove was daunting. It all ended up being recycled, but it took time. This woman was so stuck in the past that the future seemed exceptionally scary. Her family believed that as a child of the depression, she held on to anything that might help or protect her from what ominous things would lay ahead.
Technology is another of those things that forces us to learn or be left behind. Even young people cannot keep up with the sheer volume of change inherent in the computing technology of current times. However, those who do make an effort to keep up with basic computer skills will feel that they can embrace the future with a bright face. We have met people who ‘cannot type’ so ‘cannot use any type of computer’. Yet this same person depends on the reliability of computers to keep the accounts of his or her life functioning from shopping to banking. The world only functions today, because of computers. It has become incumbent upon all of us to learn how to live in a computer savvy world.
In fact the computer world forces us to buy new equipment because the previous devices can no longer keep up either with the processing speed required to function or the new features that teach us new skills. Learning forces all of us to acquire new skill sets. Perhaps we wish it were not true. Perhaps we wish that being computer literate were not an option. Perhaps we wish for a time when we didn’t feel forced to purchase ever-faster devices from smart phones to wireless devices.
Perhaps what will make it easier to move into the future is the knowledge that we can cherish old memories. Do you remember when microwaves became commonplace? Do you remember a time before cell phones, a time when if you if you were not at home, you found a ‘pay phone’ and put dimes in a metal box to call someone? Those metal phone booths are now almost totally gone. So are roll-up windows in your car, cars without air conditioning, princess phones and soft drinks made with real sugar. There was even life before Google Earth and GPS, when you actually looked on a map to figure out where you were headed. . . .
Perhaps you also remember when we all had time to spare. Now, there is no time to spare. Every extra second is taken up with something utterly important. Longing for times when we could enjoy a quiet evening with family and friends isn’t holding on to the past, it is almost the impossible dream!
Life is eternally about balancing the challenge of moving into the future while still respecting the realities of the past. Every single generation has been required to face this. Perhaps the people who embrace the future feel a bit younger because the future is a comfortable place, full of new mental challenges and amazing gadgets to embrace. Maybe balance is holding on to the wonderful memories of how life used to be while embracing the amazing things that will happen in our lifetimes.
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