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The world has come a long way in the past 50 years. The advances in medicine and technology alone are a large part of why the current generation is living in a better time than the generations before. With so many possibilities at the touch of a button, I feel the world is more productive and efficient than it has ever been. People in the world today are constantly multi-tasking. As I write this paper, could be doing any number of other tasks as well. I have the ability to take my college courses online and submit assignments from my home or office, ather than sitting in class and writing this very paper on a notebook.
Once I’m done with my online school work, I can turn on my television (or computer, phone or IPad) and watch nearly any television show or movie I could want. I could even skip the commercials and advertisements if I don’t feel like watching them. If I don’t feel like going out, I can order my dinner and have it delivered to my door. As a matter of fact, I can order nearly anything to come to my door, and can do this all at the touch of a button. Medical advances in the past 50 years have been huge.
Surgeries which could only have been thought of are now a possibility. New vaccinations, medications and protocols have been developed in the course of the past several decades and are now seen as routine. A child with a defect at birth that may have not been able to survive 50 years ago, could now potentially be fixed with a simple surgery. Screenings for different types of illness and disorder are now part of routine healthcare. As a former military spouse who has sent her husband away to war, I can tell you the technological advances can make all the difference.
Decades ago, when sending a loved one oversees into enemy territory, all a family could do is wait for a letter or phone call at the most. Weeks later, you would receive the letter yet still would not know the current status of your family member. Now, when a loved one is separated by the military, there are so many options to communicate with them. From Skype, to Facetime, to simply email, it is usually possibly to reach someone rather than wait weeks at a time for a letter to come in the mail. Soldiers are able to see their children grow up and e a part of their lives, even if they are separated by distance.
They even have the possibility of virtually being there for the birth of a child, something that just wasn’t possible 50 years ago. These things can mean all the difference in the world to families who are separated, whether it be a military family or any other family who can’t be together daily. While on the topic of distance, it has never been easier to pack up a life and home in one location and move across the country, or world, to a new location. Whether you drive your car, fly on a plane, or ride a bus, you can get herever you need to go.
This is a concept didn’t truly understand until my family moved from the Midwest to New York. had never thought of the possibility of just getting on a plane and flying across the country to see my family. As a matter of fact, it took me nearly 30 years to first fly on a plane. I was amazed at the ease of waking up in one location, and a few hours later being halfway across the country. I was also amazed at the sheer number of people who fly daily, whether it be for business or personal reasons. Keeping up with friends and loved ones has never been easier than it is oday.
It is not often in this day and age that a person does not have a cellphone with them, making them reachable at nearly any time. Even if I don’t have time to call someone with a question, it is simple to send a text message and have an answer within seconds. I can connect with friends through Facebook, whether it is someone just met yesterday or someone I knew 10 years ago and haven’t had contact with since. Using my phone, I am able to check my emails, messages and phone calls. I can also use my cellphone to check my online checking account as well as take payments for y business.
Nearly as soon as I scan my debit card at the store, I can see the funds withdrawn from my account and know exactly how much money have in the bank. Receipts can be sent to me by text or email. There is no need to keep up with paper receipts to balance my checkbook because I can keep track of it electronically. I can even deposit a check into my bank account using my computer or phone without the need to waste time and gas to drive to the bank. Currently living in a college town, see that people do not actually have to ave a car.
There is a public bus that can get you anywhere you need to go. There is no need to wait at the bus stop wondering when it will be arriving, you can simply check the application on your phone or computer to find out the buses current location and how long it will be until the bus will arrive at your location. also see many people who primarily use a bicycle as transportation. Many others walk to campus from nearby apartments, which are often several stories tall and can accommodate more than 400 people on a single block.
If you live in a city, so many accommodations are literally right outside your door, if you even choose to leave your home at all. If you don’t live in a city and prefer to live in a rural area, technology can hugely benefit you as well. For example, farms can be much more productive now than decades ago. With the advancement in tractors and other farm equipment, work can be done in less time than ever before. While you may have needed several farmhands to do certain jobs in the past, now it is possibly for one farmer to do everything he or she needs to do.
It is easier to make money if ou can produce more goods for less money, and that is what is available to businesses today, whether it be farmers or manufacturers. In general, people have the possibility to work less to have more than they could have in the past. It is becoming more and more common to see non-traditional family roles within the household. More mothers are working and ‘bringing home the bacon’, so to speak, while children and the household are taken care of by the father. Blended families seem to be more common, whether it be families with remarried parents, adoptive families, or foster families.
While this was not unheard of decades ago, it seems to be more socially acceptable now than it was in the past. While there must have been numerous benefits to the way lives were lived 50 years ago, the advances that have been made in the last five decades prove that we are better off the way we live today. So many advantages are literally at our fingertips. Numerous lives have been saved, and will continue to be saved due to the advances in the medical field. Communication with others has never been easier. These advances have given us the life we are able to lead today.