I Remember……

I remember a time when we liked someone,
we told them so to their face.
Nowadays, we ‘like’ someone on Facebook
since we will never, ever go over to their place.

I remember when children played outside
until the street lights came on.
Nowadays, the streets are empty
because our children have a smartphone.

I remember when you met the one you love
while squeezing fruit in a grocery store.
Nowadays, you sign up for a dating site
and wait to get a compatibility score.

I remember when there was no obesity epidemic
because healthy meals were cooked at home.
Nowadays, mom and dad are working late
and so the kids have come down with ‘McDonalds and Burger King syndrome’.

I remember when bicycles and hula hoops were all the rage
and children swam, played kickball and jumped rope.
Nowadays, our children are sexting and texting
and are missing or failing in school and on dope.

I remember when I did not have to be nostalgic for the good ole days
because the good ole days were the days I grew up in.
Nowadays, I look around and I cry and I don’t know who for,
for me or for those whose life is about to begin?

Written by,
Shelby I. Courtland
©2017 Shelby I. Courtland

I cry for me! I take a look around and I can only shake my head and sigh over how far we have come the wrong way. Technology will be the death of us and we refuse to see it. This is why I don’t blog much anymore. I am out trying to ‘live’ as opposed to being caught up in this ‘virtual’ reality. For decades, I managed to live without smartphones, laptops, PCs, Wi-Fi hotspots, microwave ovens, Wii, HDTVs and the like and I was all the better for it. I lived simply and did not covet everything I saw and again, I was all the better for it. Our values, morals, decency and principles flew out the window, decades ago when we hardened our hearts and turned to spewing hate at each other through these devices that we think we can’t live without. I bet most of you cannot even turn your laptop or your smartphone off for 24 hours. You just can’t do it. What does that say for you? Not much, I’m afraid. Do you know how much of your life you’ve given over to these devices? You say, “I’m going to take a road trip and get away from it all!” And yet, what do you do, you film the whole thing as it’s happening and either live stream it or post the whole thing on Facebook and ask for ‘likes’. You’re the only one who needs to ‘like’ it. Can’t let go of these devices even when you claim you are stepping away from it all. How sad is that?

For those of you who were alive before the internet was ‘born’ and before smartphones became all the rage, did you feel that you were missing something? Did you take trips and do you have mementos of those trips? Sure you do and you waited until you got back, took the film to the store and had it developed and now it is in a family album. My mother has family albums full of pictures of all the things we did. And we managed to get pictures of ourselves without the need of a ‘selfie’ stick. Imagine that! We are all a bunch of sad ass wimps because we are nothing like the people who have mostly passed on. They were the lucky ones because they never had to see this foolishness; this utter stupidity that we relish and spread. And we have the nerve to think that we are more advanced when we have done nothing more than embrace our own demise. Tell me. How healthy are you? You can’t be all that healthy when all you do is sit somewhere facing a computer at work and at home and en route. No one was causing an accident because they were busy texting. Did you hear of the horrible bus/truck crash in Texas? The driver of the truck is reported to have been texting while driving and caused the death of thirteen innocent people coming from a church retreat. Like I said, so-called ‘technology’ will be the death of us and so it was for those thirteen innocent people killed on a Texas road. I was a victim of a texting driver and I am still suffering tremendously and all she got was a $150 fine for failure to drive with due care. What will this 20-year old get for killing thirteen innocent people? A bigger fine? He says he’s sorry. Yep! That’ll bring those folks back to life and give them back to their loved ones. For the love of!!!!!

Witness: Driver in crash admitted texting before collision that killed 13

HOUSTON (AP) — The driver of a pickup truck that collided with a church minibus in rural Texas, killing 13 people, apologized after the crash and acknowledged he had been texting while driving, a witness said Friday.

Jody Kuchler told The Associated Press he was driving behind the truck and had seen it moving erratically prior to the Wednesday collision on a two-lane road about 75 miles west of San Antonio, near the town of Concan. Kuchler said the truck had crossed the center line several times while he followed it.

“He said, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was texting.’ I said, ‘Son, do you know what you just did?’ He said, ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry,’” Kuchler recalled.

He’s sorry? We’re ALL sorry and getting sorrier by the minute!