During one of those moments of zapping, I got to listen to two psychologists exchanging their views on modernity, complaining of the effects of time on personal relationships. I was either in a rush to do something or they were talking too slowly, for I didn't get to listen to much more than that.
One of the psychologists is a famous TV personality on account of these relaxed talk-shows mainly about sex. His posture on the chair is the one of a person who is going to fall asleep anytime. The pace of his thoughts doesn’t help a faster type of audience to remain awaken either. But he’s a good bloke to have around when you cannot summarize a life experience in a few lines.
So I caught myself thinking of time in the modern age as well. It’s not a recent idea that as people get older and hopefully more experienced they tend to use their current judgement mental equipment on the younger ones, most of the times as if they were never young themselves. ‘Ah, things nowadays are not like they used to be anymore,’ is one of the commonest expressions I’ve heard. If we ever catch ourselves formulating such an expression that might mean we’re depassé already, soon to be dead, metaphorically, inside our brains.
Also, if I think of my nephews and their friends, the older of which is now 18, they talk on MSN with multiple people while I’m trying to give attention to only one of them, and sometimes finding it hard to keep up with even that. In comparison, I’m chat-depassé at the very least (and if I’m not italicising “chat” also it is because I’m a dog owner/owned). They are really fast buggers, these kids, they are.
One analogy that comes to mind is that of computer users. When one buys a brand new computer, it apparently performs faster than the previous one. It’s probably truer if one is using the exact same software to run it. The computer runs great. Until one’s mind catches its pace. Soon one is able to use the computer to the point where it seems it is running slower than before. But if all of a sudden one would have to use again the first computer ever, that very same one which performed so great by its own time, its speed would seem to be quite close to a three-finned turtle trying to get back into the sea while negotiating a beach of volcanic boulders and after laying an immense quantity of eggs for hours under the frying sun.
Going back to those psychologists, listening to them reminded me of a sweet confession by a 10 year old cool guy. He told me, ‘I like to talk because I like to listen to myself.’ He was part of a very talkative family, so he couldn’t escape developing his oratory skills if he ever wanted to be noticed among a troup of babblers, and getting some attention is a human need.
Then what this amounts to? Nothing. But relax, old people: the younger ones will slow down also, even if only relatively to their pace of living, and will stop to think the exact same things you’re thinking now, but probably in a much more faster way.
