Back in my day

By the time you read this, I will over half a century old. Now it will be just barely but nevertheless there it is.

While I am not older than Walmart but I can remember as a teenager when the first stores came to my town. Those were the days. Before the empire. You may think that I am exaggerating Walmart’s presence in the nation’s  and potentially the global market, answer this question. How far do you have to drive to the nearest Walmart? For me it is roughly 10 minutes in different directions to three of them. Two super Walmarts and one neighborhood market are that close to me. If that wasn’t proof enough have you ever notice the Galactic Empire logo and the Walmart logo look very similar. I am kidding but I leave you with this thought on this idea. The galactic empire got its start with an older gentleman who was working with the trade federation. I am not calling Sam Walton a Sith Lord, in fact Walmart’s original mission statement was quite noble. However these are not the droids we are looking for. 

I am older than the public on ramp of the internet. I can remember the supermarkets selling the Encyclopedia Britannia on an end cap. Speaking of the supermarket, this or the fore mentioned Walmart is where you got the CD that would get you access to the internet. While it was the information highway, I want you to think of it more like a dirt road. For some of you, you may not grasp the concept that you were not always connected to the internet. You had to intentionally connect and it was a process. The internet came through the phone line. So imagine calling someone and waiting for them to answer, that is what it was like. The flip side is because it use the phone line, you couldn’t  use the phone to send or receive phone calls. Dial up internet moved at a blistering speed of 56 to 128 kbps. Please note the kb in that statement. For perspective internet moves at 20 – 60 Mbps so that is 20,000 – 60,000 kbps. So we all needed a little patience when loading the homepage. Then the horror when the page is almost finished loading, you hear the sound of someone picking up the phone. Remember access is granted through the phone line and when the phone is picked up the connection is severed. You would need to start the whole process again after the phone call was completed. More interesting is that dial up required a phone line so unless you are carrying a incredibly long phone cable there is not mobile feature. This is good and bad news for you. You are offline . That is it. For our constantly plugged culture that is almost unheard of, but then it was not that big of a deal. 

I haven’t even touch on all the things we do now on this expansive world that the internet permits. We can explore information at a record pace. Think of a subject on literally any topic and your curiosity is quelled. Never mind the streaming services and shopping you can do in your pajamas. If that sounds impressive this and other post have been written on my phone while I commute on a train. Something the fits in our pockets has almost the more computing power than what was used to put a man on the moon. We have come a long way from the 2.4 lbs monster with a half hour talk time battery life. Thankfully that was before I was born, but barely 4/3/1973. 

Saying back in my day, can bring the advantages and disadvantages of what is was like back then. If given a fair chance the more modern world can equally produce it own list of the same. It is a vicious tug of war and there is no clear winners. In a shorter version of that statement would be “in my day.” This is where I want to land this plane. Thinking of the past is a great way to encourage yourself to see how far you have progressed in your journey. As I researched all things that I am older my mind was flooded with the simplicity of the past but fondly remembering how many times my Grandpa had to go back to the store because my Grandma forget to put something on the list. There has been advantages and disadvantages with these changes, but they are in the past.  In my day doesn’t have to be only a statement about the past. I would like to highlight today is a day. Even more there is a phrase “Carpe Diem” or Seize the Day. So maybe instead of saying “in my day” and focusing on the past.  Could we try saying, “in my day” in the spirit of seize the day?  Could we say in my day I am going to the gym? In my day I am going to finish that book I have been working on! Own that day! Make it yours! The past is great however you can’t keep looking that way because you are not going that way. In my day, today, I will totally make it mine. How about you?

Carpe diem!!!