Greg thinks patience is dead

Just sitting here listening to music and thinking about the world. One thing that has been on my mind lately is patience, a dying virtue for sure. I can't help but look at the differences between generations before us and the children of this generation and notice the crazy difference. It makes me wonder at what point will it be too much?

Think about it. I just saw on Digg that Disney is testing out a new way to have people wait to go on rides. Instead of waiting in line, they go inside these air conditioned tents to play games and whatnot until their turn comes around. Sounds fun, but what are we losing? I know I'm sounding like a ranting old man here, but I remember going to theme parks and waiting in line. I remember the build up of excitement and nervousness as we got closer to the front. Especially for the more hyped scary rides, it seemed like you started outside and then went inside where it got darker and darker. Music would play. You were entering the world of the ride and immersed in it because, well, you had no where else to go. After spending a long time in this atmosphere, it was like the ride was the grand climax of the whole story.

And what about car trips? DVD players to keep kids occupied in the back seat. Why? I remember driving with my family to Ocean City, MD as a kid. It was about 6 hours I think. Boy it was grueling. Our entertainment consisted of sleeping, answering questions off some trivia cards my mom loved, or playing Gameboy. This was the original Gameboy and all we had was Centipede and Bugs Bunnies Crazy Castle. Hardly the hand held entertainment of today. At one point I did have a cassette player, but unless I had a friend to make me a mixtape, any given tape only had about 3-4 songs I liked. Now it's like the children are immersed in a world of endless entertainment to the point where when you finally arrive at the beach, once again, it loses it's appeal.

And what about music? I remember desperately listening to the radio hoping my favorite song would come on. Now, there isn't a time where I don't have immediate access to my favorite song as well as thousands of others. With this constant stream of entertainment assaulting our minds (especially young kids) no wonder everybody seems to be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I think it's time we really take a hard look at ourselves and realize it's time to unplug.