You are here: Home » Transitioning into a New Era in History
Boating and salt life with the family. Christopher (left) and Nico (right). May 29, 2023.
June 10, 2023
The reality of life right now is that things are hard for a lot of people. This transition from the previous decades into the current time and space we occupy has not been an easy one as we usher in a new era. 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 in the beginning of a transition is almost like time travel swishing through Ancient History, Post Classical History, Modern History ect. Now that I’m aware we are currently transitioning into another direction, I don’t think I like being here in this time to witness an era change as much as I thought I would. Like they say, be careful what you wish for.
Life seems to be in an unhealthy environment right now. The unknown is greater now than any time I have been alive. I just hope that 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 did not catch the events unfold? How about if camera phones weren’t around to document George Floyd, the riots that ensued, and the tsunami of anger that event created. History is changing in real time and we can’t keep up because we are inundated with a barrage of information. There are boots on the ground. Regular individuals embedded into society capturing anything and everything as it happens. There isn’t time to digest what’s occurring due to swiftly move on to the next great life-changing event. This transition into a new dawn, era, generation, isn’t going smoothly. But is transition supposed to?
When America wanted independence from England that created 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 and new traditions and hopefully a better understanding about why the incident happened so that 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 have influences on youth that older people like to blame for the changes they don’t like 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, war on drugs and so on. Those were all events occurring on a history 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.
Maybe 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 use to by in my world. And I am no 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 fighting over the remote and video game controllers, and arguing with my parents because I did want to go back inside the house for the night.
As if getting older had hardened me in my ways and making 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 and it is due to me grappling with my fear of being left behind as society transitions and breaks through new barriers as it normally does. It isn’t fun thinking that soon I will be irrelevant to corporate America or in 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, I have built up a world in my mind as I matured 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 I can hold on to the good old days of my little world but 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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Superheros. Blake (left) and Max (right).
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