Do you ever wish you were born at a different time?

FriendlySpartan

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I know it all depends on the environment you're raised in, but I'm happy to have made it through college while only dealing with the early onset of the internet. There are certainly pros and cons, but I'm happy with how social interactions were then versus how they are now.

When I was at ISU, there were more open doors than closed ones on a dorm floor. The last time I walked through a residence hall, I didn't see a single door open. Broke my heart a bit.
Huh, that’s kinda wild and I never thought about it. Unless you were sleeping/gone or otherwise engaged the door was always open. That’s a weird one
 
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State2015

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I know it all depends on the environment you're raised in, but I'm happy to have made it through college while only dealing with the early onset of the internet. There are certainly pros and cons, but I'm happy with how social interactions were then versus how they are now.

When I was at ISU, there were more open doors than closed ones on a dorm floor. The last time I walked through a residence hall, I didn't see a single door open. Broke my heart a bit.
Definitely agree. I don’t think anyone in here is grumbling about our creature comforts and the convenience it gives us. We have it really good right now. The issue is that the way we live now is such a stark difference to 30 years ago, and we’re much more socially isolated
 

BWRhasnoAC

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I know it all depends on the environment you're raised in, but I'm happy to have made it through college while only dealing with the early onset of the internet. There are certainly pros and cons, but I'm happy with how social interactions were then versus how they are now.

When I was at ISU, there were more open doors than closed ones on a dorm floor. The last time I walked through a residence hall, I didn't see a single door open. Broke my heart a bit.
Ya our dorm floor was basically 50 open doors at all times but then my second year it was nothing like that. I think a lot of it is just luck of the draw and finding a proper mixture of personalities.
 

cydnote

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My grandparents (born circa 1900) went from cooking with a wood fired stove to pushing buttons on a microwave. Making a living farming 160 acres with horses to a gasoline tractor. Raising some chickens not for "egg money" (spent for frills) but to supplement income. A garden to provide veggies and some livestock to provide meat. A radio for news and entertainment until a TV and watching "Gunsmoke". Saturday night dances and Sunday church and extended family gatherings. The harder they worked the more they prospered. They lived a more labor intensive life but for the most part took pride in what they accomplished and were rewarded for it. They lived a simpler life and enjoyed it.

Edit: MeanDean beat me to it
 

coolerifyoudid

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Huh, that’s kinda wild and I never thought about it. Unless you were sleeping/gone or otherwise engaged the door was always open. That’s a weird one
That's largely how I met most of my friends in college. You'd walk by an open door with a group and tell them you're heading to lunch/the sand courts/play basketball/a party/etc and people would go with.
 

FriendlySpartan

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That's largely how I met most of my friends in college. You'd walk by an open door with a group and tell them you're heading to lunch/the sand courts/play basketball/a party/etc and people would go with.
100%, my undergrad dorm was the nerd dorm and way different then the rest of campus but this was exactly how I met everyone that I was and still am friends with from college
 
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Gonzo

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Sure in some ways but things were much simpler. Climbing the corporate ladder or being an influencer is just revolting to me. I'd rather cut my own wood, hunt my own food, etc even at the expense of modern amenities.
Yeah we have a few acquaintances (friends from many years ago) who are just dying to become "momfluencers"... they have young kids, they constantly post videos/reels/pics of their kids on Insta, FB, etc., with "witty" advice, and when you look at their "About" info on FB they list their occupation as "Digital Creator" even though their posts literally get maybe 15 likes. Lol. It's so absolutely stupid.
 

Gonzo

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My grandmother lived from December 1927 to January 2024.

She was born before the Crash and the Great Depression.

She served in WWII (in a sense) as a nurse and during the polio outbreak of 1955.

More recent than your grandparents but... just staggering the events she saw and the changes she lived.
That's pretty amazing.

I saw a post somewhere that pointed out something that kind of blew my mind... there's now a larger gap of time between today and 1972 (year I was born) than there was between 1972 and 1921.

When you think of all the changes in the world between 1921 and 1972, that just doesn't seem possible.
 

Sigmapolis

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That's pretty amazing.

I saw a post somewhere that pointed out something that kind of blew my mind... there's now a larger gap of time between today and 1972 (year I was born) than there was between 1972 and 1921.

That just doesn't seem possible.

There are many things like that.

Lincoln died in 1865 and FDR in 1945.

= 80 years

So, next year we will be further from WWII than WWII was from the Civil War.

Another fun one like that...

Tyrannosaurus (from the late Cretaceous, roughly 72-65 million years ago) is closer in time to us than it was to Stegosaurus (Late Jurassic, roughly 155-145 million years ago).
 

JayV

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Mine is more of a fear from the raised by tech side. We are just starting to see the major issues arise from the tablet generation and there are extreme mental health concerns. I don’t fetishize the past, plenty of huge issues but certain things you just know are going to have a major impact.
There's always been uncertainty and concern about new technology. We'll get it figured out. We always do. The actual Luddites and their movement were well over 100 years ago. And every once in awhile a new technology comes along and some people get called a luddite again for not trusting it, opposing it, etc. I'm not saying you are a "luddite" because of your concerns. Just pointing out that new technology often isn't perfect for society right away, but we update the tech, or society adapts, and the advantages end up outweighing the negatives. The telegraph and cars went through it. We're somewhere past halfway with regards to nuclear power. Artificial Intelligence is just getting started in the cycle.
 
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FriendlySpartan

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There's always been uncertainty and concern about new technology. We'll get it figured out. We always do. The actual Luddites and their movement were well over 100 years ago. And every once in awhile a new technology comes along and some people get called a luddite again for not trusting it, opposing it, etc. I'm not saying you are a "luddite" because of your concerns. Just pointing out that new technology often isn't perfect for society right away, but we update the tech, or society adapts, and the advantages end up outweighing the negatives. The telegraph and cars went through it. We're somewhere past halfway with regards to nuclear power. Artificial Intelligence is just getting started in the cycle.
I get what you are saying but this isn’t a telegraph or new mode of transportation, this is something that is permanently effecting the brain/development and their is zero incentive from the govt or trillion dollar companies to make a change. You say the advantages will out way the negatives and I think that’s incredibly naive to think.
 

JayV

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I get what you are saying but this isn’t a telegraph or new mode of transportation, this is something that is permanently effecting the brain/development and their is zero incentive from the govt or trillion dollar companies to make a change. You say the advantages will out way the negatives and I think that’s incredibly naive to think.
I am optimistic, perhaps too much so, that we'll adjust something and make it incrementally better. Then we'll do it again. And again. When cars were impacting health we made a switch to unleaded fuels. And we implemented safety precautions like seatbelts, airbags, crumple zones, etc. Did a portion of the population suffer the impacts of leaded gas for a while? Yes, and it's unfortunate. But we recognized the problem and made changes. I believe that by recognizing the problem you bring up with the raised by technology issues we will find an adjustment and overtime make it better. It's what we've always done.

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NickTheGreat

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I was born in the early 80's and that was just about right. I remember life before computers, but have basically been around and working on computers for most of my life. I've seen the evolution from Lotus 1-2-3 to MS Excel, and appreciate that.

But I didn't have social media ruining my mind in high school or even college, really. But I had modern conveniences such as cell phones and laptop computers.

I'd love to VISIT colonial America but be able to come home when I needed medical attention. I don't mind the dentist now, but I really don't think I'd like colonial dentists . . .
 

MeanDean

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My grandparents (born circa 1900) went from cooking with a wood fired stove to pushing buttons on a microwave. Making a living farming 160 acres with horses to a gasoline tractor. Raising some chickens not for "egg money" (spent for frills) but to supplement income. A garden to provide veggies and some livestock to provide meat. A radio for news and entertainment until a TV and watching "Gunsmoke". Saturday night dances and Sunday church and extended family gatherings. The harder they worked the more they prospered. They lived a more labor intensive life but for the most part took pride in what they accomplished and were rewarded for it. They lived a simpler life and enjoyed it.

Edit: MeanDean beat me to it
I have a 31 page hand typed "Story of My Life" written by my grandmother's sister. They grew up in the country in that era and she was, for a short time, a teacher at an Iowa country school. For her otherwise "limited" education she wrote a heckova life history. She had the same take-that life's conveniences have made people less interactive with one another and family. And she felt that was a negative. The whole family had to work together to survive and prosper. It's interesting as all heck to read it. They definitely experienced some hardships I couldn't imagine.

The things it does omit are how the technology came to them over the years, which I found disappointing. But it is so interesting. And I've shown it to others (non relatives) who also find it revealing. I always find the historical human stories much more interesting than the politics or war stuff.

It has also inspired me to start pulling together an outline for mine. It won't be as well done, but I think it's a great gift to give future generations - to pass on what your life was like and how you lived it.
 

cyclones500

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I used to ponder this theme somewhat frequently, less so as I get older. Maybe I’ve reached the stage of, "Eh, it is what it is/was.”

Even so, it’s an intriguing discussion.

I was born mid-‘60s. Categorize myself as “X-Boomer." :) At one time, when I first developed major interest in ‘60s/early ‘70s music and pop culture, I thought it would’ve been cool to be born late-‘40s/early ‘50s. As others have mentioned in this thread, that brings another set of possibilities such as being Vietnam draft range and other realities.

I might not have minded being born roughly 5 years sooner or 5 years later — the overall experience in many life aspects would be similar, just encountering them at different point in age cycle.

Outside of that narrow frame, I'd be more like others have said, "time travel for a short time to see what it's like."
 
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Cdiedrick

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This is interesting and I can say yes a part of me wishes I were older. I was born in 80, but my other siblings were born in 1963, 64, and 66. I have always gotten along great with my peers and people older and I believe that’s part of the reason. I could have been on HS and driven a 10-15 year old muscle car. Times were simpler and I wouldn’t really have missed out on much sports wise. Regardless I really enjoy being an 80’s kid!
 

coolerifyoudid

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I have a 31 page hand typed "Story of My Life" written by my grandmother's sister. They grew up in the country in that era and she was, for a short time, a teacher at an Iowa country school. For her otherwise "limited" education she wrote a heckova life history. She had the same take-that life's conveniences have made people less interactive with one another and family. And she felt that was a negative. The whole family had to work together to survive and prosper. It's interesting as all heck to read it. They definitely experienced some hardships I couldn't imagine.

The things it does omit are how the technology came to them over the years, which I found disappointing. But it is so interesting. And I've shown it to others (non relatives) who also find it revealing. I always find the historical human stories much more interesting than the politics or war stuff.

It has also inspired me to start pulling together an outline for mine. It won't be as well done, but I think it's a great gift to give future generations - to pass on what your life was like and how you lived it.
That is really neat to hear. I know you never want to lose the original typed version, but I hope someone takes the time to digitize it as a back-up if you haven't done that already.

My brother interviewed my parents a few years back, asking them things about their childhood, how they met, what my mom did when my dad was overseas in the army, what careers would they have gone into had they not gotten into farming, etc

I found out that my mother lived in California for awhile and worked as a secretary. I learned that my great grandparents homesteaded the farm I grew up on. Only three generations separate me from the people that bought prairie land and started a farm in the middle of nowhere! It's remarkable to hear stories that I'd never heard before (mostly just because they were questions that were never asked). He recorded it and digitized it for the rest of us. It's priceless.
 

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