2014

It still seems odd to write the numbers 20... in the date. I was born and raised in the twentieth century. The twenty first century sounds like science fiction to me. I remember when young men used to raise money for college expenses selling encyclopedia sets door to door. Each set cost hundreds of dollars ( a LOT of money back then) and had to be updated yearly with annual supplements. The volumes were instantly out-of-date as soon as they rolled off the presses but somehow it didn't seem like things changed as fast back then. Now we can find instant, in-depth answers and analyses of everything within 45 seconds (thanks Google and Wikipedia!). The world of information available is changing every second and I can wish my friends in England and Brazil a Happy New Year for free, and instantly. I see their baby pictures 10 seconds after they are made.

But my grandson may never know what it's like to spend long summer days playing in the woods and fields. He may never find and keep a box turtle for a pet. He may never see the vast flocks of birds that used to darken the sky as they migrated. He probably won't spend the summers on his bicycle riding down to the corner store and cruising for miles in the neighborhood. His life is already centered around electronic media. At 4  years old he can manipulate an iphone like a master.
I'm not sure if the tradeoff is worth it.