Yes There was Life Before the Internet

Believe it or not as difficult as it might be to imagine there was actually life before the Internet. Lucky for me I am old enough to have grown up in a world without it, and I am not that old either. Some of you may disagree and wouldn’t consider it lucky, but I am glad that I grew up in a time without it. From here on out as time goes by people won’t know life without it, except for the older folks. As they grow old and eventually die nobody will remember life without it. This goes for most other advances and changes in technology.

The following are a few things I can relate to:

Before the Internet there was…

Fishing (Not to be confused with Phishing)
This was when we would go to the lake, river, or ocean and toss a line in to try to catch a real fish that we could eat. Some people consider it a sport. Others do it for fun and recreation. Today we have Phishing where people attempt to trick you into giving up your login, passwords, and account info so they can steal and empty your accounts. Definitely not the same kind of fishing I knew when I grew up.

A Cell (Not a Cell Phone)
When I grew up if someone mentioned a “Cell” it was a jail/prison cell and you really didn’t want to go there. There were no “Cell” phones. We had the telephone and they were big, loud when they rang, and had a dial you had to spin. You put your fingertip in a wheel and spun it for each digit of the number you were dialing. There was no telling your phone to: Call Mom. Now cell phones are so common (but annoying to me) we don’t even refer to them as a cell or cellular that often anymore. They have just become our phone. People have become so dependent and addicted to them that they sleep with them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want someone calling me at 3:00 in the morning just to chat. Nor do I want to receive a text message on it 24/7.

Mail (Snail Mail) – (Not Email)
Yes it took 3-7 days to sometimes get something in the mail. Yes you might consider it time-consuming if you were in a hurry to get something, but it was also something to look forward to. It served the purpose and worked well for many years. Sure it still exists today, but people don’t rely on it like they once did.

Friends were real people (Not digital or online types)
These were real people that you would go see and visit with. You went out and did things with friends. There was a real connection involved and overall someone you cared about. You actually had real conversations and built quality relationships. Now we have digital friends, followers, or whatever your little site or network refers to them as. Although you may have friends that exist in both the real world and online the relationship isn’t the same as it used to be. The quality and real meaning of a friend has changed or is changing.

Cars (without any electronics)
We had cars that were not nearly as comfortable to drive with all the extra conveniences built into them like we have now. We actually had to navigate with the help of a real map. Sometimes the heater didn’t work so well, and some cars didn’t even have air conditioning. They didn’t talk to us. We sometimes cussed and yelled at our cars when they weren’t running so well or when they broke down. When they did break they were much cheaper to fix. The cost of one repair now can cost more than I paid for most of the cars I owned.

I like technology, but the soaring costs of these things are getting out of hand. People don’t even use something that long anymore. There is some new “thing” that comes out and people think they need to have it right now. Such a waste and a much different way of life than I remember growing up. We didn’t have much, but we were happy and had fun. A lot of people have more than they really need.

Like I mentioned I am really not that old. The way the world is changing is a bit exciting, but scary at the same time.

I am not complaining or anything, just looking back and remembering things from my childhood and early days. I would give it all up to go back and do it all over again if I could.

All you can do is accept it, embrace it, and deal with it because it isn’t going away.

If you are old enough I am sure you can think of many more.