A Look-Back
A century sure feels like a long time ago. In just a hundred years, the world has gone from steam power to solar power, moving pictures to VR technology, top hats to flip flops. Yes, in many ways, life a hundred years ago does seem so foreign to us, yet in many ways, things have not really changed as much as you’d think. People still have the same fears, dreams, visions, and longings for a better future.
Why am I harping on this issue, you may ask; well, I recently had a chance to watch an old family home video that was shot close to 30 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised how everyone basically looked and acted the same (with the exception of a few wrinkles and grey hairs, in my case, no hair haha). Somehow the mid-’90s looked completely normal! If I had a chance to step back in time, I would fit in without much issue. We sometimes look back at the 90s and imagine everyone had neon-coloured clothes & Jason Priestly-esque hairstyles but the fact was that in a home environment, everyone basically just used shorts and t-shirts.
Besides the obvious technological changes I saw in the video such as VHS players, traditional home telephones, CRT televisions, and the Micro Genius game console (clone of the NES/Famicom), people acted like well, people. We talked, laughed, played football in the driveway, and we just had a great time living life.
Fast forward to 2022, life seems the same with the ubiquitous internet-enabled devices notwithstanding, and I wonder how will the future look back at our current timeline? With wonder or disdain, that is something we will look forward to. See you all again in 2052 then!
