Grateful for The Modern World

The modern world is . . . a lot.  Information overload is a real thing affecting our brains.  We don't know what the long-term effects of screen time will be on our development and eyeballs.  Deadlines seem to come faster and faster than they did before, and all the things that are labeled "conveniences" just raise the expectations of workload.  Sometimes, progress feels like more of a burden than not.

Yesterday, however, I spent the day feeling grateful for many aspects of the modern world.  I had a number of errands to run.

First, I went to the grocery store.  While I am often stunned by how little food can add up to such a high price, I was able to drive there in a car and buy a wide variety of things, many of which are not in season in my area, and I was able to put them into a refrigerator which would keep them fresh for a while.  When I cook them, I won't have to build a fire.  I will simply turn a knob on the oven.

Then, I took my car to Walgreens for a flu shot.  While I had to wait in line, I did so in an air-conditioned store.  While there was a bit of confusion about my insurance, they were able to straighten it out with a phone call while I waited in a padded chair and read a book.  I know books aren't new, but there was a time when books would have been very expensive and difficult to obtain.  I got this one delivered to my doorstep within two days of my friend, Blake, recommending it; and I paid only four dollars for it.  When they took me into the room to administer the shot, it took about five seconds and was accomplished with a sterile needle by a trained professional.  In the early days of vaccines, a man pulled up to your house with a smallpox victim in a wagon, cut the recipient's arm with a razor blade, and smeared the contents of a blister into it.  The modern world of vaccines is astounding.

My car was very far overdue for an oil change, so I headed to Take Five, where they informed me that they couldn't service my type of car, something I knew but had forgotten.  I couldn't remember the location of where I had gotten it changed the last time, so I went home and Googled my nearest Snappy Lube (Yes, I know you are thinking that if only I had a cell phone, I could have avoided the trip home, but I am comfortable with my life choices).  I found the location in moments and headed out again.  When I got there, I was told they would have to order the filter.  I braced myself for hearing that I would need to come back next week when the man said, "It will take anywhere from 1 to 2 and half hours for it to arrive."  He seemed surprised when I told him I was happy to wait.  I sat down in the air-conditioned lobby with my book and my iPod and listened to the wisdom of some Bible teachers who are able to share their thoughts from a studio in Texas, which I then downloaded to listen to at my own convenience.  The part arrived quicker than expected, and I was out of the store in just over an hour.  While things like oil changes and inspections and other care maintenance can be sometimes annoyingly inconvenient, they are far more convenient than the maintenance a horse would require, which is what I would have had a century ago.  I am grateful for the ability to own a car.

During all of this, my house was being vacuumed by my little Roomba, my dishwasher was cleaning the dishes, and my washing machine was cleaning my clothes.  These are all tasks that would have taken a lot of time and physical energy to accomplish just a few decades ago.  This weekend, without my even being present, devices made it possible for me to come home to clean dishes, clean clothes, and a clean floor.

When I got home, I realized that I needed to connect with a few colleagues about something, and I sent an email.  At the beginning of my career, this would have required either waiting until Monday when I could see them or making several phone calls.  While there are some headaches that come with email, I love that I can contact a large number of people at once and even schedule what time it sends.  And, of course, without computer technology, education would not have been possible for the past 18 months.

I am also grateful for my eyeglasses, my orthotic shoe inserts, easy-to-obtain vitamins, toothpaste, the postal service, soft drinks in aluminum cans (do you know that aluminum was once the most expensive metal in the world?), YouTube, lawnmowers, digital cameras, alarm clocks with snooze alarms, sunscreen, television, and hairdryers.

How does this relate to education?  It only relates in the sense that we live our lives in front of students.  We can model frustration when deadlines are looming or tech gets glitchy, or we can model gratitude that the tech exists in the first place and give them a perspective they do not have, that of a person who lived before and had to do all of their work manually.  We can teach them to view things from multiple angles and change their reactions based on that perspective.