I grew up in a time when, at 6 years old, I could not only walk 7 blocks to school alone, but I could also walk to the public library alone, any time I wanted.
The first book I remember checking out was Bread and Jam for Francis. I remember it being overdue and I was scared to bring it back late. So it sat in my closet for over a month, I don’t remember how long exactly. I did eventually return it and learned my lesson about overdue fines.
Books were always an escape for me. I would check out the maximum (5 or 6 I think was the limit at the time). I would read every one, return them, and get a new stack to take home.
By age 10 I could take the bus across town to dentist appointments or the department store. There were no cell phones, no tracking devices. A dime could get you from one end of the city to the other, and back if you timed your transfer receipt right.
On weekends, my best friend and I would hop on our bikes in the morning and ride all over the city, exploring dark paths in Golden Gate Park, and be home by dark. We just followed our whims, sometimes riding 10 miles or more. No photos, no checking in online, just the memories of the day.
Do kids do this anymore? Spend a day at the public library? Ride bikes all over town just exploring and (trying to) avoid mischief?
Back then, there was one primary music radio station, KFRC 610 AM, and it played everything. It didn’t matter what your preferences were, it was all just music. You listened to what the DJ chose - no playlists, no streaming.
How did we go from this to the electronically tethered and digitally programmed life we now lead?
I could see the dangers early on and I know I was more strict with my boys than other parents were. Although simple electronic games began to appear in my youth, they weren’t prevalent until my sons came along and I delayed them for as long as I could. Some of their middle school friends already had electronic games and cell phones in 2008, but I clung to our trips to the library and their nightly reading. Reading was one thing I wouldn’t compromise.
I read to my boys from their birth. Even if they couldn’t read books themselves, they could understand being read to. To this day, at almost age 30, they are still avid readers.
We used to have a system: for every hour they read, they earned a paperclip, which they collected in a cup on their dresser. Each paper clip could be turned in for 15 minutes of computer time. Strict? Yes. But they learned the lessons of saving, valuing their time.
They both work in computer tech and are, by default, tethered to their phones and computers. And even I prefer writing and organizing my thoughts on my iPad rather than pen and paper.
Today, as happens occasionally, the Internet went out at home. Sure, I could still cook, do laundry, and clean house. And yes, I have other non-electronic hobbies. But it always feels restrictive when the WiFi goes down. The first thought is always, “Damn, what now?”
It sometimes crosses my mind to simply unplug from it all. Honestly, I feel that if the entire internet went down permanently, I’d be better equipped than many to survive and stay occupied and entertained, though it would be an adjustment.
I’m glad to have lived so much of my life without all of this and know that there is a life outside of it.
Have we created more freedom by having these devices? Or is there more freedom without these ties to the socially connected, electronically driven life that we currently are bound to?
What I’m Reading This Week
Here are some other ‘stacks that have caught my attention this week. Check them out and subscribe or share if you like what they have to say:
