Saturday, October 29, 2011

We are together in the 21st Century



As a reference point of time, we 60-somethings will never forget where we were on the day JF Kennedy was killed. (check out this article called JFK Moment Frozen in Our Memories) http://www.deseretnews.com/article/525039299/JFK-moment-frozen-in-our-memories.html  
To that, we added the same day you will never forget: September 11th , 2001. See Seared Into Our Memories; http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/09/memories.aspxhttp://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/09/memories.aspx
The world has changed since then, and still changes, day by day. The way it was, before September 11 will fade in your memories, like those who died or moved away early in your life. Those of us who are 60-somethings--who rode our fat tired bikes freely in our neighborhoods in the fifties, came of age in the sixties and traveled the world with our backpacks in the seventies will remember a simpler world, with more people to people access and less time in front of a screen.
On that same day, that day that is grooved into our brains, neither of us knew much about digital technology. How much has changed.  Now our mobile phones and the internet are front and center in our lives, though we always long for the real world—a vital human element that lingers in our animal selves, quietly urging us to seek friends, get outside, eat real food.
And here’s the most astonishing thing. Something else will happen. Our world will change dramatically again—and we don’t know what it will be.  Good chance it will be something connected with this very technology, the cell phone/internet that allows us to play with each other now.
In Denali NP, Alaska
So, not to get too far in yet… Play is the operative word. Let’s talk.  

What Is It About 20-Somethings?

A gritty article by the NY Times. Here's a quote: “It’s somewhat terrifying,” writes a 25-year-old named Jennifer, “to think about all the things I’m supposed to be doing in order to ‘get somewhere’ successful: ‘Follow your passions, live your dreams, take risks, network with the right people, find mentors, be financially responsible, volunteer, work, think about or go to grad school, fall in love and maintain personal well-being, mental health and nutrition.’ When is there time to just be and enjoy?” Adds a 24-year-old from Virginia: “There is pressure to make decisions that will form the foundation for the rest of your life in your 20s. It’s almost as if having a range of limited options would be easier.”
Want more? See:  Click on the link below for the full New York Times Article. It may annoy or inspire or overwhelm you.
What Is It About 20-Somethings?