Being a parent of a young child, I often wonder how society will be when our son is grown. Incredible changes have been made since I was a youngster, and I cannot imagine when he is an adult what new and improved technology will exist. I love technology, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it can be a little unsettling on how our society is changing. I recently read about schools who are replacing their library books with electronic readers. No more books?! I cannot imagine a world without. Social interaction with human to human contact is almost a thing of the past with social networking, texting, etc. Will our son grow up in a virtual world?
I hope places like Treworgy stay open so that future generations can grow up and appreciate both our technological and environmental world.
I love technology too, but fight fight fight against the tide! Take your son to the Tweworgys of the world as often as you can! As an empty-nester, I remember fondly all the outside, hands-on activities I did with my children. And I think those memories are precious to them. The digital world is wonderful, but in many ways it's intangible. Wii is fun, but it's not the same thing as getting out there and really racing the jetski or fencing with an opponent. I was struck with the fact that in the film Digital Nation, the "cure" for computer game addiction was simple, old-fashioned, outdoor fun. Let that baby toy pick the apples, pet the goats, roll the pumpkin out of the field!
ReplyDeleteThanks Shelley! I actually wrote the blog before watching A Digital Nation and it seems I am not the first to think this way. We try as much as we can to expose our son to different things. I hope he can learn to appreciate these things before getting sucked into our digital world. Sadly, he already knows that he can watch Elmo on our laptops. But he loves the outdoors and is fascinated by what he sees.
ReplyDeleteI can also relate to the change in technology with stores like Borders closing around us. Yes, you are so right that children remind of how quickly time passes and things change. They say that the last century saw more technological growth than all preceding centuries. This leaves us to think what could happen in the next century with regards to technology. I would rather not think about that. I would rather take that time and go to Treworgy's, too!
ReplyDeleteGreat picture, Lydia!!!
ReplyDeleteI was so struck by your comment about how technology and society will change for your son. I can remember thinking (in, oh, maybe 1985) that I would not see the kind of change my father had witnessed in his lifetime (radio, automobile, air travel, TV, and (just barely) computers). Well, that has not turned out to be the case. I am convinced that the impact and scope of emerging technologies in my lifetime has exceeded his. Of course, it could be a mater of perspective, too.