Change moves faster with every generation. Growing up I remember having our first video recorder, a Betamax, our first computer gaming system, an Atari, and our first car with power windows.
And with every new gadget I thought, “Wow, now this is amazing.”
Today I look around and am simply stunned by all that we have.
More and more people have smart phones which are like computers in our pockets. We have 3D movies with graphics that make everything so lifelike.
There are hybrid cars, the Internet, Playstations, digital cameras, the list goes on and on.
The standard of living in most nations of the world has increased 10 fold from what it was just a short time ago.
And yet, despite all these wonderful devices that help make our lives easier and more fun why is it that our level of happiness has dropped?
Why do we feel anxious about the future, instead of excitement?
Today expectations have gotten even higher. A college education is mandatory for most jobs.
That’s both a serious commitment of time and money.
We are expected to work harder and longer than in years past. Failure to do so and we’ll be left out in the cold.
Millions of people are still struggling to recover from the collapse of Lehman Brothers three years ago.
The tsunami that ravaged Japan is still causing widespread economic damage.
Nations and corporations are dealing with the rise of China.
More and more parents are trying to protect their kids from even the smallest hardships both at school and at home.
As a result the level of education has dropped and kids are being robbed of the opportunity to learn some of life’s most important lessons.
And at the same time there are other parents that just leave kids to their own devices.
Another recipe for disaster.
The world is changing all around us and not all for the better, though I wish it were the case.
So what can we do?
The first step is realizing that these problems exist.
Then, as Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
It always starts with us.
Parents who want their kids to change should first change themselves.
Their children will follow.
Change is happening all around us and as the Borg on Star Trek were famous for saying, “Resistance is futile.”
Welcome change, appreciate what we have, strive to be better and give to others are my keys to fixing what’s wrong in the world today.
What are yours?
Adrian Shepherd