Whenever I get frustrated with human greed and selfishness, and people’s general intolerance and impatience, I imagine life would be better in the 1990s: big happy families, community gatherings, no consumerisation and kids riding their bikes in the street. I conclude that if we wind back the clock to a time when life wasn’t a continual 24 hour seven day a week routine, we would be happier.
Our 24/7 culture and ‘need’ to buy the latest goods and services has turned people, young and old, into workaholics. Many people keep more than one job and hobbies go out the door. We have so many choices in today’s society that it becomes a burden and overwhelms us. We feel that life is too short and as a result we cram as much as possible into our lives so we never miss out. We expect fast food, fast service, fast appliances, fast transport and fast responses.
However, life has improved since the 1990s. Australians are now the second-longest-living people on earth, rights for women have improved, racism has decreased and education is compulsory for all children until the age of 15. However, if we don’t appreciate and acknowledge these improvements, they are worthless. We need to wake up and realise that life is good and should be treasured not accelerated in fast forward mode.
