Two Roads

We live in the age of the television. Satellites have made it possible to receive images instantly from anywhere in the world and there is a continuous cascade of information being poured through the airwaves at an ever-increasing rate. Add to this the cell phone and computer networks and you have a veritable flood of information being passed back and forth by the second. In no era of history do we find the comparison for our day. Never has man had access to so much so easily. But the question arises: What affect, if any, does all this information have on humanity, and on the world at large? Has it made us any better?

One of the first effects that television had on people was that it pushed them away from the dining room table. Instead of taking their meals with the family, people began to lean toward frozen meals, which were easily prepared by popping them into the oven. TV-trays appeared in the TV room and the dining room became somewhat obsolete. Microwave ovens gave us frozen dinners in record time, allowing more freedom from the kitchen and more time in the TV room. Advertisements targeting certain audiences at certain times produced obvious results, and parents began buying breakfast cereal, toys, clothing etc. based on their child's exposure to advertising.

Aside from it's obvious impact on home life, there appear to be some more subtle effects which, though hardly noticeable at first, could impact our lives more dramatically than even food and purchasing habits. I have noticed, in conjunction with the rise of television, movies, computers and gaming, a steady decline among my peers and associates in both inclination and ability to simply participate. Whether that participation is large or small, significant or unimportant, my friends and neighbors have tended toward less of it over my lifetime. This trend could spell the death of our culture, if it isn't already dead.

Assuming that our culture is not dead, what exactly does it consist of? Is it important? and Who is going to keep it alive? I cannot answer those question for you, but I can and have answered them for myself. And it is these answers that give rise to the things I do. Failure to answer these questions means certain death for the culture of our parents. Perhaps it is their family traditions, their customs, their family stories, their music or their dancing. Whatever it is, if we do not pass it on to the rising generation, it will most certainly be lost.

On Saturday we, with many of our friends, celebrated our pioneer heritage. Reenactments, music, dancing, stories, costumes and food all served as reminders of who we are and where we came from. This once-a-year remembrance gives us and our children a common point of reference and reminds us that we all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. This intimate connection with those who brought us into this world is vital to the survival of our culture.

The age of the television is the age of couch potatoes, video game addiction, thousand-channel surfers, cyber friends, virtual reality and a host of other 'conveniences'. This is a new culture. It has no country, no flavor, no heart, no ancestor and no principle. It also brings none of the joy and unity that I experienced on Saturday. It seems to me that we have come to a cultural crossroads. We can let go of our heritage and embrace the new 'electronic culture', or we can keep alive the traditions of our past. I wonder if we can do both.

In the words of Robert Frost:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.