Keeping up with the moving times …

Recently I was having a discussion with my wife over how fast things are changing around us.

We often find it difficult to keep up with the advancements in the field of technology or with the rapidly changing environment around us. Be it configuring your PDA as a hotspot or hoping to see a movie without pre-booking tickets a week in advance. I remember the fun times we used to have just driving to the Skyline or Anand theatre and getting tickets to see a movie. Gone are those times - most movie theatres in Hyderabad have been replaced by multiplex cinema halls requiring us to pre-book way in advance to reserve a seat. Come to think of it, there are so many instances where one can see a fast moving product, trend, or way of life being obsolete now:

1.       Audio Cassette à Audio CDs à USB pen drives hosting 1,000 songs

2.       CRT television sets à LCD TVs à LED TVs à 3D LED TVs

3.       STD/ISD à Landline phone à Mobile phone

4.       Tailor made clothes à Readymade clothes

5.       Cricket at nearby park à Cricket on PS3

6.       Zoo à Animal Planet

One can identify a million more examples. Some of the changes above are for the good, while some of them are not.

What we need to realize is that we indeed are the “Golden Generation” as we have been fortunate enough to have a rich cultural upbringing under the guidance of our parents. I often feel that the next generation (our kids) will never get to see a real lion unless they can fund a trip to Africa! The chances of our future generations spending time climbing trees or playing outdoors seem pretty slim too. Maybe we can act as bridge between the two generation islands (our parents à our kids) as both the parties have an entirely different view of the world and it is us who have seen and have been a part of the transformation so far.

Each of us has a great responsibility to ensure that we pass on the essence of life and cultural values to the next generation. Respect for elders, love for plants and animals, and spending time with family were less about laws for us but more of a gradual learning as we saw the same traits in our parents.

Change is inevitable but what we choose to bring with us and pass on to the next generation will always be our choice.

I cannot resist quoting the immortal dialogue from Spiderman…

“With Great Power comes Great Responsibility” ….. Hope we are all up for it!!