Our Parents Had It Easy - Shaun Hautly

Tonight, as Boston's “More Than a Feeling” came on in the restaurant, I realized that our parents (and grandparents, especially) had it WAY easier than we do. That’s because I had to DIVE into my pocket to check if my cell phone was ringing, because “More Than a Feeling” happens to be my ring tone. While this particular example is a little funnier, there are many pressures and expectations with which the previous generations never had to deal. We’ve become so connected and communication is instantaneous. Failure to communicate becomes a blot on your character: you get a reputation for poor response times, etc. Just as everyone has a friend who is “always late,” we also know which people never respond to text messages.

I was in a Frisbee game yesterday and there wasn't an e-mail sent out to inform us which field the game would be on. So I had to e-mail people at the last minute, and finally check the schedule on my phone, which was loading slowly. While this sounds like a stuck-up problem to have, it’s true that if I didn’t show up because I hadn't found the schedule online in my car, people would have been disappointed in me. The same rings true (haha) for a dead cell phone. People get ANGRY with me when my cell phone isn't answered because it’s dead. It’s almost scary. “What if we can’t get ahold of you?”

Lastly, the pressure to get spelling and wording right is higher than ever. A few generations ago, if you sent someone a letter, and the address was off or name was spelled wrong, they still got it. The mailman knew. However, today if one letter is off, MAILER DAEMON gets mad. Web sites won’t download if you don’t know how to spell them properly. My grandfather has NEVER asked the question, “Is that all one word?” Times have gotten complicated and pressures have risen to accommodate those complications. Our parents had it easy.