When was the last time you really enjoyed a moment?
It happens to us all. We live our fastpaced,
ultrasonic lives with our high-definition
televisions, new cars, video game consoles
and cellular technology capable of satisfying
our ever-growing requirement for
instant gratification. However, I am willing
to place a wager of a Fanshawe "Keep Calm
and Carry On" t-shirt that no one can
remember the last time they truly sat back,
reflected on what they have and enjoyed
their lives without wanting more.
Have we really reached a point in life where we read to our children on iPads instead of books? Taking them to violent and gory movies just so your son/daughter can be cool and discuss how gruesome the movie was the next day on the playground? Buying them consoles and violent games to go with it, like the Call of Duty series or the Grand Theft Auto series, to name a few. There used to be a time where if one were caught viewing such material, they would have been taken out back, so to speak, but now we live in a society where parents want to be friends with their kids, and it is slowly getting out of control.
I remember when I was young, my parents used to take me for picnics and walks in the park and I enjoyed it. These days are almost gone, and kids would rather stay inside and play video games, talking to their friends via instant messaging on their phones or using voice communications through their respective gaming consoles rather than going for a bike ride down to the river to skip rocks.
It sounds archaic and dated, but we must understand that our desires are unyielding whereas the development of technology will eventually stagnate and we will still be hungry for more. For example, when was the last time you went for a nice long walk in the country with your family followed up with some ice cream? I bet those outings and learning experiences and valuable family time have been usurped by technology and our everlasting demand for instant gratification.
I am not a father myself, but I know if I had children, I would want to legitimately spend time with them. I would not want to waste my time trying to compete with both the television and the cellphone for my child's attention and respect. There are reports that children as young as four or five years old are now learning to use iPods and iPads in class. Why is this happening? I know the physical textbook is quickly going the way of the Dodo bird, but we will lose ourselves entirely if we do not embrace physical knowledge versus the knowledge obtained using the Internet.
The day will come where we can no longer satisfy our avaricious, egotistical requirements and we will have to look inward for happiness and entertainment. For many people this will not be an easy task and it might even destroy people right down to their cores because they have not learned how to be happy with themselves and what they have to offer the world.
People, we need to realize and understand that our lives are precious; we do not have a right to live, but the privilege to wake up every day. When was the last time you sat in your backyard with a bonfire burning and gazed at the stars with your family and friends? I challenge each and every single person who reads this article to look up in the sky for 15 minutes a night for a week with no cellphone, no computer, no TV, no video games — nothing. Look up and listen to the sounds of the night, this may provide you with some insight as to what I am talking about. Life is short, enjoy it while you can.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Have we really reached a point in life where we read to our children on iPads instead of books? Taking them to violent and gory movies just so your son/daughter can be cool and discuss how gruesome the movie was the next day on the playground? Buying them consoles and violent games to go with it, like the Call of Duty series or the Grand Theft Auto series, to name a few. There used to be a time where if one were caught viewing such material, they would have been taken out back, so to speak, but now we live in a society where parents want to be friends with their kids, and it is slowly getting out of control.
I remember when I was young, my parents used to take me for picnics and walks in the park and I enjoyed it. These days are almost gone, and kids would rather stay inside and play video games, talking to their friends via instant messaging on their phones or using voice communications through their respective gaming consoles rather than going for a bike ride down to the river to skip rocks.
It sounds archaic and dated, but we must understand that our desires are unyielding whereas the development of technology will eventually stagnate and we will still be hungry for more. For example, when was the last time you went for a nice long walk in the country with your family followed up with some ice cream? I bet those outings and learning experiences and valuable family time have been usurped by technology and our everlasting demand for instant gratification.
I am not a father myself, but I know if I had children, I would want to legitimately spend time with them. I would not want to waste my time trying to compete with both the television and the cellphone for my child's attention and respect. There are reports that children as young as four or five years old are now learning to use iPods and iPads in class. Why is this happening? I know the physical textbook is quickly going the way of the Dodo bird, but we will lose ourselves entirely if we do not embrace physical knowledge versus the knowledge obtained using the Internet.
The day will come where we can no longer satisfy our avaricious, egotistical requirements and we will have to look inward for happiness and entertainment. For many people this will not be an easy task and it might even destroy people right down to their cores because they have not learned how to be happy with themselves and what they have to offer the world.
People, we need to realize and understand that our lives are precious; we do not have a right to live, but the privilege to wake up every day. When was the last time you sat in your backyard with a bonfire burning and gazed at the stars with your family and friends? I challenge each and every single person who reads this article to look up in the sky for 15 minutes a night for a week with no cellphone, no computer, no TV, no video games — nothing. Look up and listen to the sounds of the night, this may provide you with some insight as to what I am talking about. Life is short, enjoy it while you can.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
