Everything seems to happen rapidly in today’s world — and it is only speeding up. How can we deal with that constant change?
The pace that things are changing now is impressive. Just a hundred years ago, things were drastically different. Automotive flight was in its infancy. Radio and newspaper were the primary forms of communication — there was no TV, no Internet.
Even 50 years ago would seem like a time capsule to today’s youth. Color television was just a few years old. Computers were massive machines that took up entire rooms.
In addition to significant technological change, there have been large social changes as well. Examples include women’s liberation, the rise of social media, and legalization of gay marriage.
Of course, there were changes, often momentous ones, in decades and centuries past. However, the speed at which these revolutions in science, technology, and culture take place is getting faster and faster. For instance, the telephone took more than a century from invention to widespread use. Television took decades, and then the smartphone just a few years.
People, though, remain largely the same. Life expectancy has increased, yes, and we know more about our health and the way our bodies work. But our brains are the same ones that evolved over hundreds of thousands of years.
With that in mind, it is remarkable that humans have managed to adapt as well as we have over the last century or two. However, there are signs that even our flexible brains are having difficulty taking in our information-heavy, rapidly-evolving existence.
How do you deal with the speed of today’s society? Does the 24-hour news cycle impact you negatively? Do you chase the latest smartphone model, and if so, what happens when you get it? How often do you feel overwhelmed?
Related questions: What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Are we too busy? How do you deal with major life changes? What technology most impacts your life?
First, be a savvy consumer. Subscribe to or visit consumer protection or tech review websites. Do you really need the newest gadget? There are sources you can consult to decide and, if purchased, to use it wisely. If not, tech developers will try to convince you that you must have the latest device.
Second, use technology. Don’t let it use you.
Third, if you’re using technology to strengthen your connection with others and the world around you, good for you; however, the key is to preserve human connection and experience the world in all its beauty. Put down that phone when you are with others face-to-face. Sure, take a picture of the view in front of you. But then put down your camera and enjoy the scene with your own eyes. (I remember seeing a crowd of people with their cameras taking pictures of the Mona Lisa, with almost no one just looking at the painting. Sad.)
And fourth, while rapid change is happening, your personal values should stay strong. Don’t compromise what you believe in just because a temporary change in circumstances favors convenience over discernment.
An important change that took place with my life was the draft lottery held in December 1969. I had a job lined up, I was a senior in college and this draft lottery dramatically changed my life. I received number 20! However, a fellow I met while serving in the Navy, he and his wife lined me up on a blind date in 1976. We will celebrate our 48th anniversary next August!