Tech-No

I had a discussion today, with my husband, about down time and how it has changed since we were children. When we were children, kids played outside. Top on the list was street hockey, followed closely by kick the can, capture the flag, hide and seek, kick ball and red rover.  We would spend hours outside playing these street games.  Teams would be comprised of a variety of ages and the end time was determined by the onset of street lights.  We were not street rats, nor were we  derelicts. We were the average, middle class american kid who played in the street, and cared nothing about technology or progressive intellect.  We were children of the present, making the most of what was in front of us.  While we may have had friends across town, we did not find it necessary to involve them in our every waking moment.  We had an  individual identity that allowed us the freedom and diversity to have many varied avenues of interest. We found ways to thrive and prosper that did not involve an internet connection.  We could think for ourselves, and we filled recreational voids with our neighbors. We were forced to interact with a wide spectrum of people.  We learned how to accept each others differences.  We deciphered what it took to get along amicably with many people of varying skills, beliefs and strengths and we learned to value each person's attributes. We mastered the art of enjoyment, without extravagant measures. Technology was a word of limited value in our world.  Wireless meant exactly what it implied, we were not required to be plugged in.  We could roam far and freely without  limitations.  Our world was what we made it.  We did not rely on an outside source to fill our vacuous moments. We were the directors of our own enjoyment.  We required nothing but our imaginations to transport us to our childhood escape. It was a "no tools required", upbringing.  Skype was nonexistent and still, we made it work.  We were our own captains, charting our own course of choice.  We were not scheduled, controlled, or enslaved.  We were creative, imaginative, independent and accepting.  We functioned as our own masters, made choices and learned how to cooperate with a vast and varied team.  Every day involved social skills.  It was a course in leadership, management, and cooperation .  All of these skills are lost in present day childhood . Adults commandeer the child's recreation and if not adults, then some form of technology controls their actions.  What we've gained from this technological advancement is obvious but what we've lost is immeasurable.  We've lost our ability to be basic, simple, uncomplicated children.