On July 5 in these pages I wrote about the Ten Worst Things About Modern Times....
here is the sequel
About a month ago (July 5) I published a commentary titled: “The Ten Worst Things about Modern Times” – themed from the movie of the same name, featuring the Little Tramp (Charlie Chaplin). It had strong comment and response. So…now it is time to follow it up with the ten best things about the times we live in.
To briefly recap, my ten “worst” things, in ascending order were:
#10 Overstructured kids
#9 College sports (quasi professionalism)
#8 Deficiencies in American education
#7 Income disparity in our country
#6 Pro sports (and obscene salaries)
#5 Movement of the political spectrum to the right
#4 Polarization of our nation politically (and its effect)
#3 Computers (and loss of personal interaction)
#2 Rise of our corporatist society, and dangers thereof
#1 Cell phones – intrusive, annoying, and even dangerous at times
Well, I begin my ten best things with another iconic American comedian: Mel Brooks, and his ever famous “The 2000 Year Old Man”. On a frivolous start to my list, according to the 2000 year old man, the “greatest thing ever invented” in his lifetime was…saran wrap. So that will be number 10 (we can get more serous after that).
#10 Saran Wrap
#9 The “coming out” of gays. When I was young, being gay was highly stigmatized. Today, it has reached a level where gays can openly express themselves, and most often can do it without fear.
#8 End of the Cold War. Growing up (I am 78); we lived through an era of vague, but continual fear of a cataclysmic atomic attack. In the 50’s, many folks even built home bomb shelters. Today, even with rogue nations, that fear is mostly gone
#7 Cars, jets, transportation. In years gone by, automobiles were far less efficient and reliable. Air transportation was virtually all prop planes. Today advances to both have added speed, efficiency, and even opportunity for better experiences. As a side note, the main transportation of the 2000 year old man was…FEAR! You often had to run like hell.
#6 Race relations. Before you lecture me about discrimination that still exists, let me tell you about Jim Crow, lynching, the abhorrence of seeing “mixed race” couples. Those, at least, thank goodness are gone.
#5 Energy alternatives. Again, no lectures, I agree we are far behind the curve here; but at least society is beginning to recognize the issues, and some response has been initiated. We now see solar panels, hybrid cars, better mileage efficiency etc. None of those existed just a few short years ago.
#4 Medical advances. On a personal note, in the 50’s my father died of a malfunctioning heart valve; in 2004 I had a heart valve operation that had become virtually routine and life-saving. Medical advances are incontrovertible – now if only we could make them affordable…
#3 Space exploration and understanding our universe. In 1961, John Kennedy promised a “man on the moon in our decade”. It seemed like an impossible claim; but since then we have explored space and our solar system with regularity. It has been enlightening and exciting.
#2 Computers. Yes the same item I rated as the 3rd “worst” thing about modern society before. Not inconsistent, just a recognition that many advances can have both positive AND have negative implications at the same time. Computers have given us a great tool for storing, sending, and processing information, while at the same time to some extent, “depersonalizing” our society and human interactions.
#1 The Internet (with emphasis on Google). True, the internet is full of mischief, misinformation, and even loss of confidentiality. But, clearly it has also allowed us to communicate better, conveniently gain information, improve business practices, learn more and faster, and gain greater efficiency in our lives. On balance, it has become a valued tool for modern society.
I ended my complaints on the ten WORST things, with this quote: “…the Little Tramp would be proud of us for extending his incisive commentary into the 21st Century” Conversely, with the ten BEST things, I think the 2000 year old man would be stunned, and in agreement on how far the world has surpassed his admiration for saran wrap.