The reality of life right now is that things are hard for many people. This transition from the previous decades into the current year of time and space we occupy has not been easy thus far as we usher in a new decade. When I began to learn more about history, I wondered what it was like to transform from one place in time into another. Like the Wild West morphing into a sophisticated industrial age, where did all those gunslingers go? Being at the beginning of a transition is almost like time travel, swishing through Ancient History, Post Classical History, Modern History, etc. Now that I'm aware we are currently transitioning in another direction, I don't think I like being here at this time to witness an era change as much as I thought I would. Like they say, be careful what you wish for.
People's lives are in an unhealthy environment right now. The unknown is greater now than any time I have been alive. I just hope there's something tangible when my children become more self-aware of their environment. Every generation has its trials and errors. Horrors and nightmares. Life-altering events and historical time stamps. But something about society feels different now. Maybe it's because social media drives and documents current events in real-time.
Imagine what history would say about 9/11 if media and CCTV cameras missed the events unfolding? How about if camera phones weren't around to document George Floyd, the ensuing riots, and the tsunami of anger that event created. History is changing in real-time, and we can't keep up with it because we are inundated with a barrage of information. There are boots on the ground. Regular individuals embedded into society capture anything and everything as it happens. There isn't time to digest what's occurring to swiftly move on to the next great life-changing event. This transition into a new dawn, era, and generation isn't going smoothly. But is transition supposed to?
When America wanted independence from England, it created a war. When the slave trade was threatened, there was a civil war. And as nations developed, millions were slaughtered for world dominance in World Wars. But there seemed to be an autocorrect that realigned once good prevailed and society returned to normal for the better. But this time, with upgraded norms, new traditions, and hopefully a better understanding of why the incident happened, we are not doomed to repeat it.
The events today feel as if history is blazing into uncharted territory. It's too easy to blame social media since every decade seems to influence youth that older people like to blame for the changes they don't want occurring today. "Turn down that music!" "Cut your hair hippie!" "Video games making our youth unsociable." "It's that rap music creating a hostile environment." "Elvis Presley's hips are corrupting our daughters." Smoking, integration, gay rights, vaping, the war on drugs, and so on. Those events occurred on a historical baseline that seemed to be righted as anger simmered and culture and acceptance righted the ship. The current tilt is no fun, and there's no ballast to weigh it down.
This uneasy feeling I have of a bad history transition is due to my age, and that ageism is blinding me to the fact that it isn't society changing, but it's my unwillingness to change. My desire and longing to return to things used to be in my world. And I am not referring to the unjust times of people or changes made today for the benefit of the masses. I mean for the times that seemed innocent, carefree. When my mother and father were young. My siblings and I fought over the remote and video game controllers and argued with my parents because I didn't want to go back inside the house for the night.
It was as if getting older had hardened me in my ways and made me unable to change with the times. It could be that in my mind, I'm angry because youth is king; young people are doing fine. So, really, I'm too shortsighted to see I'm the blind one. It is due to me grappling with my fear of being left behind as society transitions and breaks through new barriers as it usually does. It isn't fun thinking that I will soon be irrelevant to corporate America or people's day-to-day lives as progress redirects society into other paths. One thing for sure, though, is that my family still needs me, for now, anyhow.
My reality is that I have built up a world in my mind as I mature and become wiser. However, society is transitioning into a new era of history. Computers, AI, social media, and all forms of digital will soon overtake the things we manually do now as humans. I suppose some of it is good for Mankind. But not all of it will be used for good. Becoming a history buff is the only way to hold on to the good old days of my little world. Still, the reality is that we are transitioning into a new era, and if I continue looking back. I will miss the changes of the events unfolding before my very eyes. We are indeed transitioning into a new time and place in history.
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