Old vs. Modern (Postmodern?) Friday Fives

1. What modern convenience/invention could you absolutely, positively not live without?
Recorded music!

2. What modern convenience/invention do you wish had never seen the light of day? Why?
Fast Food drive-thrus. Thinking back on my childhood – man, we went to them a lot. It’s just not healthy, and the impact of those ingrained childhood habits are hard to undo.

3. Do you own a music-playing device older than a CD player? More than one? If so, do you use it (them)?
I have a tape deck and a record player. I use both of them.
(And up until about 5 years ago, my family still had an 8-track player. I think it finally died, though).

4. Do you find the rapid change in our world exciting, scary, a mix...or something else?
I think it is a mix of both. Good change is exciting…bad change is scary. My great Aunt was alive for the entirety of the 20th century (1897-2005) – and I am positive that the changes SHE saw in the world during the course of her lifetime will eclipse anything I might experience. I mean, the changes in our current age are significant, yes…but how does, say, an mp3 player compare to the automobile? Flying? The fall of the Iron Curtain? I just don’t know…maybe I’m desensitized to change, since everything changes so quickly.

5. What did our forebears have that we have lost and you'd like to regain? Bonus points if you have a suggestion of how to begin that process.
A moral compass. One step could be parents taking responsibility for their kids (disciplining them, teaching right from wrong) – and not leaving it up to teachers to “babysit” them, as is so often the case.