The new commercial space scene, smart phones, wearable computers, the cloud and 3D printers, are just a few things on the list of technologies that are rapidly evolving in the world today. Are these things good or are they just added complexity in a modern life? Many think a lot of your opinion on this may be based on your age. If you were born 60 to 80 years ago, you might think that colonizing Mars was something that you only read about in an science fiction novel, but these are the plans which are being made for the near future, by several companies that have worked their way up to the top pages of the science news and technology news.
The common assumption that the older generation do not care about new technology, is often just unfounded speculation. The fact that back in the 60s and 70s, many were glued to their televisions watching astronauts land on the moon, does not mean that those same excited faces do not now get excited over the International Space Station or the possibility of actually colonizing another planet.
Some of the older generation do have problems with learning to use new technology, such as with rapidly advancing computers and smart phones. Sadly to say, too often with the aging process also comes the aging brain. Some older people have physical or mental health issues that do not allow them to learn to use new technologies with ease, and there are indeed those who simply do not care to.
Life was a lot different when the elderly generation of today were young. Some people might want to classify it as more simple and opinions would vary on that statement. The information technology back then was very minimal compared to that of today. Children of today play on their PC computers, their gaming devices and mobiles. When the older generation of today were children, they played with each other more than anything else. Hours were spent playing in the yard with siblings or friends, playing hide-n-seek or catching fire flies. Some would perhaps unfairly call that era naive, compared to the life the children of today lead.
Although the older generation may have lead a more technologically simple life as children, how do they cope with the technology of today? Many of this older generation are actually just as excited and interested in what is going on as the younger generation. The number of years that a person lives does not decrease their ability to seek adventure, nor their desire to want to learn new things.
In fact, having spent a lifetime seeing such dramatic technological changes, they may have even more vision for the future of what could some day be possible.
The developments in the field of medicine are amazing. Hopefully some day in the near future, the printing of complex organs for transplant will be a reality. The 3D printer itself is awesomely multi-purpose. Many people both young and elderly thought that something like such a printer would have never been practically possible. But since it is, it will likely play a major part in the future of space, manufacturing, medicine, and who knows what else.
When SpaceX sends the new Falcon up for testing or a mission, or when the latest Google Glass hits the shelves, many of the older generation will be right there. They will be just as excited as the younger generation and may even be a little more appreciative, because of the life they have led and the changes they have seen over the years. The older generation is in part responsible for many of the changes that have taken place. Remember that the youth of today are the elderly of tomorrow, and with the internet’s tech news, there is no real reason that anyone has to be out of touch with the latest progress in innovation and technology.
Linda Lafferty