The Day We Never Thought We'd See

By Mark Morgan

Every generation says the world is changing, but I don't know if any generation has watched it change as quickly as ours.

Sometimes I'll sit on the porch with a cup of coffee, look around, and catch myself thinking, I never thought I'd live to see this.

Take television, for example.

ite show came on one night a week. If it started at seven o'clock, you'd better be in your chair by a quarter till, because if you missed it, you were just out of luck. Then you'd spend the next seven days wondering what was going to happen on the next episode.

Now folks can sit down on a Saturday morning and watch an entire season before the sun goes down.

Who would've ever believed that?

What do you think can you give new ideas?

Then there's supper.

Years ago, if somebody had picked up a camera and taken a picture of their plate before they ate, we'd have thought they had finally lost their marbles. Food was meant to be enjoyed while it was hot, not photographed. Today, people share breakfast, lunch, supper, and dessert with folks they've never even met.

And here's another one that still amazes me.

Growing up, if someone said they worked from home, it usually meant there were cows to feed, hay to bale, a garden to hoe, or a little workshop out behind the house. Home was where your boots got muddy and your hands got dirty.

Today, someone can pour a cup of coffee, sit down in front of a computer, attend meetings with people in different states, and put in a full day's work without ever backing out of the driveway.

Now I'll tell you the truth.

If somebody had told me fifty years ago that we'd carry a telephone, camera, flashlight, map, radio, calculator, and library in one little gadget that fit in our pocket, I'd have laughed and told them they must've been dreaming.

But here we are.

There's an old saying that goes, "You can't stop the wind, but you can adjust your sails."

Maybe that's what every generation has been doing all along.

Our grandparents adjusted when electricity reached the countryside. Our parents adjusted when television showed up in the living room. We've adjusted to computers, smartphones, and a world that seems to move faster every year.

The tools have changed.

The pace has changed.

But people really haven't changed as much as we think.

A little child still wants someone to read them a bedtime story.

Neighbors still appreciate a friendly wave when they pass each other on the road.

Friends still need somebody willing to sit down, listen, and share a cup of coffee when life gets heavy.

And there still isn't a piece of technology ever invented that can replace a warm handshake, a hug from someone you love, or a quiet conversation on the front porch as the sun slips behind the hills.

Maybe that's why we smile when we remember the old days.

It isn't because we wish the clock would turn backward.

Truth be told, I like being able to call my family in seconds, look up an answer without digging through a set of encyclopedias, and enjoy a few of the conveniences we've been given. Progress isn't the enemy.

The danger is forgetting what mattered before all the gadgets came along.

Because a smartphone can remind you about a birthday, but it can't make you thoughtful.

A streaming service can entertain you all weekend, but it can't make memories with your grandchildren.

A computer can help you earn a living from home, but it still can't replace sitting across the table from someone who needs your time.

The older I get, the more I believe the world's greatest inventions were never machines at all.

They were kindness.

Integrity.

A good neighbor.

A strong family.

A faithful friend.

Those things have carried people through every generation, and they'll still matter long after today's technology has become tomorrow's antique.

I reckon the world will keep changing long after we're gone.

New inventions will come. Old ones will disappear. That's just the way life has always been.

But if we can hold on to our values while learning to live in a changing world, we'll be just fine.

After all, the best things in life have never been found in our hands.

They've always been found in our hearts.