Rushing to keep pace with changing times

The other evening as we were enjoying a cosy family meal and discussing the day’s developments and anecdotes, I realised that I was almost a passive participant. My son and daughter-in-law were talking about millennials. They were discussing how the millennial generation’s take on life was so different from theirs, and how the concept of entitlement was so defined and how they both had to use a different strategy when dealing with this generation. Whoa! What is this all about?

Firstly, I had to look up the meaning of the millennial generation. It is those people who are born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 22 to 37 in 2018) and are accused of being difficult to manage, self-centered, with a strong sense of entitlement. It was mentioned that they were different from Generation X. And Generation Y? Then there is the Generation Z (pronounced as zee). That was a whole lot of information I needed to update. How did we lag so far behind all the happenings and how did life race past that fast?

By the time I started becoming aware, it seemed everything had changed. A while ago, we had wanted to convert some cassettes into a more modern format because they were rare recordings but when we went to buy a cassette player, we could not get one. Even compact discs or CDs are obsolete. Now it’s pen drives, MP3s and what not! The television we had bought some years ago is redundant, now it is curved, ultra HD LED and more. In fact, the pace at which the electronics market is changing is impossible to track.

The change in faucets is a challenge in itself. It’s only about now that I feel comfortable with the sleek, ultra-modern faucets that we find in hotels, airports and fancy places. When we look around, we find progress has changed our very life. Watches are of no use anymore, mobiles give the time and the watches that adorn wrists are brands displayed at jewellery shops or at high-end watch stores.

Gone are the days of singlecuisine spreads, simple desserts and delicious savories, now the mind and the palette both have a tough time deciphering the visual delights and gauging taste.

There is such a deluge of information that it is a task sifting through what matters and what doesn’t in order of preference. The easy simple pleasure of reading is now in knots. It is more peering at mobile phones for everything that we need to know, and much of what we can do without.

As I struggle to keep pace with the crazy movement, I’m reminded of a cartoon clip I saw years ago. A man is running home with a gift in his hand and when his friend asks him what all the rush is about, he says, “I’ve to get home before the fashion changes.”

I experience a somewhat similar feeling. I have to keep rushing to keep pace with the change.

WATCHES ARE OF NO USE ANYMORE, MOBILES GIVE THE TIME AND WATCHES THAT ADORN WRISTS ARE BRANDS DISPLAYED AT JEWELLERY SHOPS