PROGRESSIVE EVOLUTION
Year 1940: Father to son – “ do you know? We went to school only after working for 2 hours in the farm. We ate left over food for breakfast and walked 10 miles however inclement the weather. We learnt multiplication tables before we turned eight. Evenings would be cool even in peak summer and having worked so hard we’d doze off under the baniyan tree after studying for a while. There was no electricity and we used kerosene lamps to study.
Year 1970: Son to grandson – “do you know we walked 2 miles to the nearest bus stop and took the available public transport to school. Five of us sisters and brothers would sit in the courtyard under a common light and do our home work. My mother would make us fetch rice from the ration shop and my sisters would help in the kitchen. We could study in peace only after doing the allotted chores. Tuitions were unheard of and we worked on our own. We used old news papers to fan ourselves in summer.
Year 2000: Grandson to great grandson – We went to school by auto-rickshaw It was only when he failed to turn up that my dad would drop us off at the school gate. My parents took it on themselves to help us with our studies and it was only in higher classes that we dared to ask for tuitions in a subject or two. The study room doubled up for the guest room and most of the time we studied in the bed room or dining space. The only room with a ceiling fan was used by my father to receive friends.
Year 2030: Great great grandson to his friend – “Can you believe this. My father actually went to school to study. So what if he drove a two wheeler from the age of twelve. Online classes and video conferences with experts were unheard of. My great grandfather had to learn multiplication tables by heart and used his fingers for adding up. My father had a calculator with the most primitive features and it was as good as not having one. And people had to actually clear all papers for a pass certificate. To counter this they took tuitions in almost every subject right from Grade 1. Attendance was a must and there was no flexibility in the choice of subject, school timing and timetable. They wore uniforms to school like army men and on top of it carried books to school since online versions were not available and not all children had access to computer education. What a loss of man hours. There was no central AC and it was a rare facility to have an AC in the mmaster bed room. People actually switched off lights manually and locked cars and doors with their hands. I feel really sorry for them. Even if they had been given the facility they could not have put it to use!
18 comments:
Oh How very true HHG !!
There are many a times when I myself do tell Appu that we had to carry our books to school etc etc
With all these technological advances - life sure is getting easier - generation by generation -but so is the wear and tear. I mean the present generation does not have the kind of stamina and strength that the previous generation used to have.
I know- my Mom used to tell me that she and her friends used to walk to school, whenever we drove down to the beach (which was behind her school.) Inspite of the draw of the beach, we cousins used to think a walk too tiring, and would not go if transport was not available.
My school was closer than hers, and yet, I used to go by auto, and the odd day wehn there was some strike and we had to walk was an EVENT!to be talked about for ages
Truly the current generation is so much lacking in stamina.
That was like travelling on a time machine! Back to past and back to the future :)
So very well said!
That brings me back to the question.....Technology - boon or bane?
:) :) :) ;)
Have done it, finally!! Just take a look :-)
And I have to tell you- learnt how to link while I was doing this post. Thank you doubly!
I agree, stamina is becoming less and less. Maybe after a while human beings will evolve into beings with rudimentary legs??? Very well put.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Animals learn to run fast to escape from their emenies and also to attack their prey. Primitive man was not much different. Today, because of the modern devices, we have no necessity to walk or run. Only the threat of a thrombosis, compel us to go for morning walk.
At the same time, we cannot stop the development of civilization or advancement of scientific knowledge. We need to look ahead and occasionally to look back to measure asto how far we have come.
gauri:Technology makes us slaves to the facility that it offers in addition to making us incapable of physical work.We then sign up for training programmes at gyms and yoga classes.A balance is reqd.
just like that:Your generation atleast walked when necessary.Your children and my grand children won't even think of it.
Technology can be put to good use and we may find it difficult to do away with it.But over dependance may not be that good.
vishesh: -( -(
I expected some verbal response.
Just like that:Checked out your tag.good job.
hillg'mom:A friend used to say that the future children just need hands to switch on the remote electical gadgets would dothe rest.rudimentary legs would suffice just to remind one that people actually walked to distant places.
mahadevan:Development and progress is welcome as long as it is put to good use.a balance is necessary.We have children becoming obese and developing health problems and parents being over protective.I fear that this may have a negative impact on society.
lol gmom...
its funny thinking abt what and where we l be in 30-40yrs time(if we are alive)....personally i think humans would be better and we will have more fo a "culture" and no ACs....
it happens in every household i guess...my grandma often told me she walked 5 miles to school and my grandpa used to eat the previous days rice soaked in water for breakfast..they were all in pink health till their 80's...donno hows the future gonna be...scary!!
It was really interesting :-). I also often think about how a scene in future is going to look like. I also imagine what it would be like 30-40 years from now, with me as a grand mom telling my time stories to my grand children with their eyes in complete disbelief. :-D
(I also posted this as a reply comment in my blog) :-).
intertsing take....
what will they use their hands & feet for then I wonder
oh god... how very true... funny but scary at the same time, dont know where the world is heading too... sometimes i wonder whether its good or bad.. agreed there are negative points but there are lot of postives also but then again do these positives really measure against losing ones childhood... i wonder
true true and so true....
when I look at my son surrounded by his toys - I often wonder how the next generation and the one after that will turn out. What will be their challenges? When physical comforts have been mastered - what's next? what is beyond the frontier???
i dont know....
Interesting and it is good the way it is all moving so acquisition of knowledge is made easier. I only worry about the reduction in the level of social interaction this might lead to - we might have very knowledgeable people lacking any social skills.
And I truly hope that this kind of system is made accessible to all kids and the current differences are also made a thing of the past.
vishesh:thanks for the quick response.kind of you.
a little light:Eating rice soaked in water was a very healthy breakfast.We children used be served left over rice as children and it kept us full for many hours.
archana:#0 years from now it will be the older sibling telling the younger one unbelievable stories.
artnavy:As I said before hand would be used to press buttons and feet to control the accelator and break.
monika:don't worry.One thing that cannot be lost is one's childhood.These techno saavy kids will also have stories to share.
something to say:Man can only master physical comforts.Mental challenges will always be there.
usha:social interaction has already taken a beating.we can no longer walk into people's homes.i find myself ringing up people inthe next block asking if i may visit them.wheras 25 years back there was a powercut and a neighbor who relied on an electic heater for cooking walked into our house and made breakfast for her children in my kitchen and that too in my absence.
Thanks HG for your comment. I feel I can hold onto it a little longer when I hear from people like you - you have done it. As of now the part-time option is working fine but I am not sure how long my orgn can provide me that option :(
Nice one! Loved it.
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