For some reason, one of the frequent conversations in the office this week has been centered on what it was like when we were kids. Do you remember those "good old days?" It is funny how we can all look back on our youth through almost idyllic eyes. While each generation has clearly been different, and each has faced different challenges, the vast majority of us look back on those formative years with fondness.
Knowing that we are raising our daughters in a very different world than the one that we grew up in certainly poses some challenges that we were not expecting. As we look back, previous generations were not provided with access to 24-hour entertainment in the palms of their hands in the form of a phone or tablet device the way that our children are right now. The generation before our children grew up with unfettered access to all the information in the world being at their fingertips after simply asking Google one question. Growing up I remember my generation being told that video games would "rot (our) brain." While I clearly wasn't around to see it, I am sure that the same things were said about the advent of cable television, and probably even network television, and maybe even the radio...
When I think back to my youth one of the songs that pops into my head is Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire. At the time, I didn't truly understand exactly what the lyrics were saying. Now I think that I understand the message that he was trying to convey. As much as we may want to keep everything the way that it has always been, it is impossible. The world around us is constantly changing. Some change is for the better. And some change is not. But whether those changes are good or bad likely depends on your perspective.
One of the primary lessons that the Stoics shared with us centuries ago, which still rings true today, is that change is inevitable. Regardless of whether you think the change is for better or for worse, there is nothing that we can do to stop it from happening. We have to learn that that is OK. All that we can do is learn to adapt to those changes as they come at us.
As I look at the world that we are currently living in, I often wonder what a modern twist on Billy Joel's classic song would sound like if someone were to make an updated version...
