Changes

I grew up on a farm in the country. We knew everyone in every direction for about five miles. We knew their dogs. We could recognize their car as it passed in the night by the sound of the engine. I wandered the farms, usually alone or maybe with my collie, with no concerns.

As I got older, I got a bike and then could ride all over the area. When I was eleven, I was allowed to ride the five miles into town so I could go to the library. Like most boys that age, the freedom to ride into town meant I could ride anyplace I wanted to go.

One evening at dinner, my grandfather mentioned an incident that had occurred at the construction site where he was working. He told about a building that had collapsed and even though it had been planned, it was still neat to see. I piped up and told everyone it really was exciting to watch and I had really enjoyed it. Everyone looked at me and my grandfather asked how I had seen it.

“I rode my bike to see where you worked. I got there just in time to see the building fall.”

He responded, “That’s 25 miles from here.”

My mother gasped,

“You rode your bike?”

“Yes. It was just the other side of town so I thought that would be okay.” It was actually quite a bit further than my “. . .the other side of town. . .”

There was silence around the table. I guess no one knew what else to say. But that is how life has changed. How many young boys would ride their bikes that far with no thought and with no consequences. All the traffic on the roads now would simply preclude the fun of the ride! I don’t remember much traffic at all on the country roads I took to the work site. There was traffic around town, of course, but even there it wasn’t bad and the speed limit was 25. All that makes a difference.

I could leave the house after breakfast and no one quite literally know where I was until I showed up for dinner. Most of the time, there was work to do around the farm so they actually knew where to find me if I was needed for something. But on the days I got on my bike, I was just gone.

Riding in town was more demanding. It involved, cars, traffic lights, intersections, and people. Tricky but manageable. It just meant paying more attention than riding on country roads. It was a town of about 20,000 people so really wasn’t much.

I don’t know that country living has really changed a lot. It might not be as safe to ride on those roads the way I did. I know that disappearing the way I did wouldn’t be allowed. There are just too many people everywhere. Then, I could go all day and never see another person. I doubt that’s possible most places now. Probably have to get really rural!

Finances are certainly different now. I never had any money growing up. But my parents and grandparents didn’t have much either. Kids now all seem to have at least some money. I’m sure it’s not enough but at least they have some. I know people struggle with finances, as people always have. Yet, no young boys have come wanting to shovel snow or mow my lawn. I don’t know any young girls looking for babysitting jobs.

The most obvious change is the technology. I remember as a teen laying in front of the radio recording songs onto my cassette recorder. And being impressed with the ability to do that! Look at where we are now, it’s truly amazing.

I was involved with the advent of computers. I learned to program, using Basic. I wrote several programs which worked quite well for payroll, scheduling, and list maintenance. Some available commercially weren’t as good as mine. But I wasn’t smart enough to market mine! The computer advanced so rapidly it was difficult to keep up with the changes and, more significantly, how to implement the device into our lives.

The Federal government has been trying to implement computers into health care for over twenty years. The bureaucrats still haven’t figured it out. I was involved in a meeting some twenty years ago with Medicare staff who were telling those of us in health care their plans for implementing computers into medicine. We told them that what they were doing wasn’t going to work. But they, of course, were government bureaucrats who knew far more than those of us working in the field. As the saying goes, res ipsa loquitur.

It’s amazing to think about the phone in our hands. It has more computing power and memory than the computers on the first Apollo! We have access to so much information on that little device, it’s almost overwhelming. Yet, what do we do with it? Gossip, see what others claim they’re doing, argue with people we don’t know, research famous people for gossip, and listen to music. Aren’t we amazing? Such potential which we seem to be tossing aside. Remind you of your high school years?

Cars have also changed significantly. Some good, some not so much. There was a time you could show me a picture of just a small part of a car and I could tell you make, model and year. Now, they look pretty much all alike. But they’re much safer and have a lot more in the car—video, sound, convenience features, and reliability. I haven’t had a flat tire nor any kind of failure while on the road in many years.

People don’t get dressed up for most anything. As a child, I wore a suit and my sister wore a dress to go to church on Sunday. My dad wore a suit and tie to work. When I started working, my attire was suit and tie. Over the years, it became a sport coat; then, slacks and a polo. Now, I’m not sure some men even own a suit or a sport coat. Getting dressed up just means clean jeans. I don’t think this relaxing of attire standards is meaningful, other than peoples perceptions of us. I find it amusing that someone in dirty blue jeans and a sweatshirt with holes complains of not being treated with proper respect. My view is if you dress casually, you will be treated casually. Not that someone isn’t deserving of respect but it may not come automatically if you’re in the wrong environment. A man in a suit in the cornfield isn’t going to get the attention that a man in overalls and an ear of corn in his hand will get. Move those same men into a Wal-Mart and the focus changes.

Be aware of changes, big and small. Some may be more significant than you think.