What an age we live in. Everything in the world you could ever want to know is basically within your fingertips, just a mouse click away. And the better it gets, the more spoiled we become. A prime example was on my way home from New York last weekend. Apparently they have wifi on airplanes now, which was news to me. That was just icing on the cake after a glorious weekend, especially because our flight was right during the Super Bowl. (I'm not even going to mention how difficult that was for me since it was the first year that the Saints had ever made it to there. WHO DAT). But as you would expect, the connection was anything but spectacular and the coverage we got was spotty at best. At one point I started get upset that we couldn't watch even one play without a glitch or delay. That's when I realized what it was I was actually getting mad about. Before this trip, I didn't even know that internet existed on airplanes yet, and yet within just a few hours I was already complaining about it. It was a great surprise to even get to see some of it.
The other reason I was thinking about this topic was because of a computer programming class I am taking. It is a lot of work to design an interface that works properly and allows the user to navigate without any problems. Basically, the purpose is to create something that allows someone to click on anything they want and not find any bugs or loopholes in the code. And the reason is because people, just like my experience on the airplane, demand perfection with technology and get upset with anything short of that. It made me think a lot about the difference between children and adults. Here's why:
At what point do kids stop wanting to discover and begin demanding timeliness. Have you ever seen a young child get frustrated that things don't work as well as they should? No, because they are just happy to have something in front of them. The only thing that young children get upset about is if someone next to them has something that they want, and that is typically just because they know they don't currently have it. We aren't born the way we are, that is something we learn from society. So, when do kids start to get that mentality? When do their values switch? When do they need more than a box with cut out shapes to fit in corresponding slots?
Let's be honest...I think we can all start to appreciate how far we've come this far, and start to appreciate the more important things in life. The next big "necessity" will be waiting for you if you change your mind or feel differently.
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