Okay, hate may be a pretty strong word. But when you scan the bloody epic of our history, the score clearly favors hate over reason. About 50 to 1. Why is this...?
Take today's bloggers. A galloping-growth industry whose 13-39 age group has become a global sub-culture capable of swinging elections and overthrowing entire regimes. From their desktop screens to their everywhere-in-the-world smartphones, they are blogging, tweeting and emailing in staggering multi-billion numbers each day. Doing it with the penache of those who feel sure they have reached the promised land.
Those who've been left behind [often chose to stay behind] deny any regrets. It is their conviction -- perhaps desperate hope -- the way-we-were is the way-to-be. After all, the age of writing and printing has been with us for sacred centuries, while these bratty newcomers are mostly just setting fire to those long, proud traditions. Look, Aristotle, Jesus and Shakespeare didn't need blogs, tweets and silly abbreviations! Another passing fad like the Telegraph, Pony Express and BetaMax!
We all know some of these admirable literary holdouts. Give me my book and my pen; my library and my archives! To be sure, there is nothing wrong with tradition, with the way-we-were, with those shoulders upon which today's kids can stand. Being of a certain age, I too sing anthems to my childhood world. I respect every wisp of joy and genius from that earlier time. Only the ancient Greeks warned long long ago: "No man can jump into the same river twice."
The river of time rushes on without stopping. Whenever we chose to jump in -- even if from the same shore we call ours -- the river we're jumping into is no longer the same as it was a moment ago. Frankly, this is the reason I hate getting all those Consumer Reports in the mail. Every issue is another hit list of products I have held sacred. Campbell Soups...Butter...Bayer Aspirin...Olive Oil... even my Italian Endive and Risotto have each been dissected or dismissed in the light of changing facts.
In confronting this forever-dawning new world, I have a choice. Either change my ways or cancel my subscription. Right now I'm watching that damn river roar past my shore, and I shake my head. More than likely, I'll send you my decision by email....
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