Is life better now than maybe 80 -90 years ago? I'm on the fence about this. The big items of communications, medecine, transportation, education, and new opportunities for work, school, new careers, travel, and communication (I'm sure there are more areas, but I can't think of any more right now) have certainly improved. But with the improvements also came new problems. For example the internet and cell phones have made communication almost instant that's good. Along with them though, has come cyberbullying, internet based scams, and more opportunities for pedophiles to find victims, teens carrying cell phones and using them to spread lies, naked pictures either of themselves or illegally obtained of other teens and spread instantly through the schools. Children committing suicide is certainly related to the previous items. So for almost every positive bit of progress comes the downside. More items related to technological progress are things like pollution, unsafe water, oil spills with inadequate cleanup, drug abuse, poverty, fraud in the financial markets and more seem to also have increased. I won't even get into the progress made in weapons of war except the great weapons have not brought peace.
Then there are population issues. Our population has nearly overgrown the planet. There is a shortage of affordable housing, decent schools, low cost health insurance, and low cost medical care for those without insurance and so much more than I can list here. But for the most part most things are better. It's just that no progress comes without a downside.
Having said all that, I feel blessed to have lived during this time of so many amazing changes and to have experienced many of them first hand. Cell phones have given me a strong sense of security and safety. It allows me to connect with my family especially those far away. The internet has helped me educate myself, allows me to read extensively on almost any subject about which I might be curious, communicate quickly with my extended family, shop and mail gifts easily, find some good deals, buy airline tickets, pay bills and store family, business and personal records and information and do my taxes.
Computer science has given us some amazing movies i.e. Avatar, and even 3D TV. Computer science combined with movie technology is almost magical. So this is part 1, I guess. Tomorrow I have some more about life before the tech advances from my memories and from stories my mother told me. Stay tuned
Musings of a retired nurse, mother of one and grandmother of 3. Doing some part time work editing papers and writing stories. I Worked 34 years mostly in L&D and newborn special care, taught childbirth education classes, and worked with the VNA and did home fetal monitoring for high risk patients. I feel privileged to have shared such wonderful and private moments with so many families. I do miss the work that I did, but not the stress I experienced so often.
Famous Seamus
Love that belly
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