Lately I have been thinking a lot about the past.
I mean, I have only lived 20 years, but that’s two decades, and a lot happens in two decades. Maybe there is underlying nostalgia to blame, or maybe I tend to dwell too much in retrospect, but I can’t stop myself from musing about everything from David Hasselhoff and his light-up jacket belting out tunes atop the remnants of the Berlin Wall, to the launch of the Internet, creating a world that is more connected than what was ever conceived.
Modern society has evolved in ways that far exceed precedent, and at a staggering pace. It’s hard to fathom what life would be like without all of our technological luxuries that keep the world spinning, and yet, it wasn’t even that long ago that we did.
With such a dizzying array of cultures, trends, people and gadgets permeating every aspect of our lives with every breath we take, it’s almost like we have forgotten our humble beginnings and are moving further into the comfort bubble where with a click of a mouse all worries dissipate far into the horizon, never to be thought of again.
Everything is temporal now, it seems. We need progress to move forward, to propel ourselves to even more unparalleled heights to confront unknown adversaries and improve life for the future. But, at the same time, people tend to forget lessons that have already been learned, and thus forget how to solve issues that could have been prevented when they arise — such as our current economic crisis.
Just a little more than 20 years ago, in 1987, the stock market crashed, and though not for quite the same reasons, the underlying factor of great excess was a prime assailant, much like it is in today’s crisis.
Of course, that recovery was far more tangible than the daunting behemoth we face today, and really, it’s because the world has changed so much and globalization has more of an effect on our lives than it did back then. It has all become a game of dominoes.
The problem isn’t just rooted in what we haven’t learned; it is also how dependent we have become. I realized this the other day, when I lost my cell phone, which induced a panic attack of titanic proportions because I was not able to text and communicate with my friends instantaneously while simultaneously taking notes for my class. My home line is an archaic device that has seen better days, and I revel in the advantages that wireless Internet and Bluetooth provide to ensure that I am always constantly exposed to whatever mindless entertainment fixture I happen to be fascinated with at the time.
Honestly, I have no idea what I would do now if I didn’t have the Internet and my iPod, and I know that 10 years ago I actually preferred partaking in activities that had nothing to do with being wired. I’ve just forgotten how to do so; even when I hike I still have my cell phone so if I really wanted to I could check my e-mail on Camelback Mountain.
Really, I am not one of those people who longs for the way things were before computers, but, at the same time, I do worry about how much I allow myself to be sucked into today’s ever-changing world.
What does all of this have to do with Hasselhoff? Absolutely nothing. It’s just that never again are we going to see a man with a hairy chest and a light-up jacket celebrating the fall of one of the most divisive symbols that had shaped foreign policy for decades.
Even though it’s good to move on, sometimes you have to inoculate the past in order to move on to the future.
Reach Alana at alana.arbuthnot@asu.edu.
