My parents had three standard
answers for the age-old childhood lament: “I’m BOOORED!” My dad would say “Go read a book”. My mom
would state “Go get a job”. If this failed
to shut us up, we would be unceremoniously ushered outside to find a friend to
play with. Thinking back on it, these responses
were perfectly distilled nuggets of parental wisdom. Books were integral to creating a lifelong
love of learning and rich imagination development. A
chore or job enabled us to develop a sense of responsibility, enjoy the
satisfaction of work well done, and assist us with the practical ability to
earn some extra money. Lastly, face to
face interaction with our friends helped us to expand some very useful social
skills.
As my children became
teenagers, I assumed that I was well prepared to do battle armed with these
three options. However, there was
something missing….No whiny complaints. Just
an eerie silence. I started to wonder if
I were somehow an amazing, masterful parent who was able to bring up such well
adjusted children that they did not need any further guidance. No such luck.
I began to notice two strangely hypnotized children staring with glazed
eyes into a thin rectangular screen.
They seemed not to notice their surroundings except when nature or
hunger called. Even then, they would
robotically go into the bathroom and kitchen--navigating the furniture while
still staring into the little box.
At first, I enjoyed the
quiet. After all, who really wants to
listen to kids complaining about having nothing to do? However, I began to realize, with a growing
concern, just how damaging this can be.
Maybe this seems like a
harmless diversion to you until you realize that, as a nation, we are all
gazing glassy-eyed into our individual techno devices—computer screens, IPads
and IPhones. Pollsters have actually
gone out and asked people on the street to identify photos such as Ronald
Reagan, Joe Biden, and Margaret Thatcher with some hilarious (or very, very
sad) results. However, these same people
will easily recognize Kim Kardashian or Snookie. Ha, ha—right?
Until you realize, the joke is on us.
Today, in the news Russia and
China are planning a major “war games” practice along with Syria and Iran. The Muslim Brotherhood has claimed the
winning majority in the recent Egyptian elections. Egyptian terrorists already have begun
attacking Israel from the Sinai Peninsula just within the first 24 hours of these
election results. Apparently, this outcome
emboldened them and signaled that it is now “open season” on the Jews. Let the games begin.
If I were to poll 100 people
on the street, I would venture that maybe only a handful would even have a clue
as to what I just referenced. Yet, these
are matters of extreme national importance and severely affect our global
security. They have the ability to throw
a match into the tinderbox of the entire world.
No worries…Just let me check
my FaceBook page again. I always
wondered what happened to Susie from 3rd grade. Hey!
Do you think Kim Kardashian’s derriere is actually real?
No comments:
Post a Comment