families would sit together around the fire in the evening.
They would sew, whittle (which happens to be a very funny word when you say it over and over) and read.
It was quiet, save for the crackling of the fire and the noises of working hands and low voices.
Their minds were allowed to wander...imagine.
I'm not sure of the actual progression, but at some point in history we left off from the fire and gathered around the radio instead.
We did more sewing, whittling and reading....all the while being entertained by the sounds emanating from the big radio box.
Our minds were allowed to wander...imagine...to a degree but were nudged in the direction of visualizing the sounds we were hearing on the radio.
Fast forward many more years into the future and now we've replaced the radio with the television.
I don't imagine that many people read, whittle or sew while sitting in front of the television, but they sit and are entertained all the same.
I'm sure our minds still wander...imagine...but while being heavily contained within the perimeter of the program we happen to be viewing (unless we've entered space cadet mode and are void of all thought).
Enter home computers.
They may not be replacing television anytime soon but ten years ago over half of the population had one.
That's a lot of computers.
While I've never been a big t.v. watcher (I'd rather read), I'm obviously a big computer user...though still less so than many.
Here's the scene in my house many evenings a week...
I'm in my office in front of my computer working (editing sessions or updating websites), one or two children are sitting at the computer beside me creating shoes, cakes or dresses via some designing website for kids while petitioning me to judge which cake/dress/shoe design is the "coolest" every five seconds (give or take).
Matt (the other half) is sitting on the couch downstairs talking to me (we have a vaulted ceiling with an open office) while filling out work related bunk on his laptop, and the remaining child is either reading, drawing, "fixing" my hair or painting my toenails (they're purple with white dots at the moment).
We don't sit around the fire or the radio and whittle or sew...as far as that goes we rarely even sit around the television (and if I tried to whittle I'd probably cut my thumb off).
Instead, we sit around the computer and we talk, we create...we imagine...and it's quiet, save for the sounds of the clicking keyboard and low voices (or shrill voices depending on the mood).
The Waltons (or perhaps more appropriately the Ingalls), we are not.
But it works for us at the moment...
B
Up next: Hopefully, the conclusion of this wedding. Sham-pow!
3 comments:
Great thoughts people often make life out today be so horrible... but really what you said is very true it is different than old days but still the same I enjoyed this blog Thanks
Unfortunately most of todays family gather around the TV without any interaction at all (and that is if they gather together at all). This is degrading their minds individually and their family collectively. Thanks for reminding us of the importance to take the time to be together, to imagine, to exchange ideas and communicate with each other. Also thanks for the mental image of looking through your window and seeing today's version of Norman Rockwell (ok that is probably taking it to far but you know what I mean);) Rockwell made everything look better, it didn't always make it true it just looked better:) Please tell me you have seen "Funny Farm", that is what came to mind as I was typing but then again we all know something about me is "different" (my parents called it "special";)
It's not the TV/radio/computer that is the problem. It is that everyone is in another room doing their own thing without doing anything together.
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