Of couple of things happened recently that 'woke' me...and yes, the fact that I put quotes around that tells you how much the world has changed.
Something that has always interested me: Can people tell that the world around them has seriously changed? Folks reading this today would probably think I am writing to complain about 'wokeness', but what I'm really about is that I think we have a hard time remembering anything correctly.
An example was seeing the video "Send In The Clowns" today from a friend. All of a sudden I had a flashback to working at the public library in the 1970's and having to do some serious research for a patron to find out what that song really meant. I never forgot that it really meant 'stick a fork in our relationship now...because it's not happening'...and really the clowns were meant to mean the drama has failed so we resort to comedy. But...now you could know that as quickly as I can, you could listen to every recording ever made of the song, how Sondheim wanted it sung, why he wrote it as questions...everything. I was foretold of this in college that someday wars would be fought over data instead of with guns, that you could get any book instantly...I didn't really believe it, but with all of the ransomware stuff going on, I think my professor, Dr. Burton Wright had a pretty accurate crystal ball.
I don't know that all of this has made us smarter, maybe we offloaded our brains onto our phones, the same way we forgot how to use a sliderule when they invented the electronic calculator. I can still remember that my father-in-law could do large sums in his head, figuring sales tax, and mainly blowing my mind with his mathematical ability...I don't know anybody that can do that now.
A telling point today, was when somebody was waxing sentimental about the good old days of vinyl records...those were good old days for people that had expensive stereos..and my recollection was that those people would not let you touch their stereo or their records...however, I do remember sitting with one such friend while he played "In The Beginning" By The Moody Blues. As kids, we got to hear the few songs they would play over and over on the local Rock radio station, never something as awesome as this....a song that foretold this future
So....as you watch the video about the Clowns...thinking it is about Trump or Biden...realize it was made long ago.....and listen to this while wondering: If I think, then I am, I think?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AukFsBv2oDY
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