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The clock has ticked off the seconds all year. In fact, almost all 31,536,000 seconds are gone, and the new millennium – the real start of the new millennium is on the horizon.
As we prepare to enter into the new millennium, I find myself thinking back on my life, the past couple of decades, a few films, and the challenges that we, as citizens of the Earth, face as a whole.
Stanley Kubrick’s monumental film, “2001: A Space Odyssey” premiered in 1968. It was a wish of how man could break away from the safe harbor of the Earth and conquer the deep void of space. The film has taken on some form of reality in the almost 33 years since the film’s release, especially with the recent progress on development and construction of the International Space Station.
I can remember watching Walter Cronkite detailing the flight plans for most of the Apollo missions. The moon launches were always highlights for me, but the moonwalks were tops in my book. The Apollo-Soyuz mission – a peace accord, of sorts, was also a highlight for me.
One year ago I was fighting the staff of a local Philadelphia hospital emergency room. I was diagnosed with a severe bout of pneumonia and was practically dead – quite literally – when my fiancé forced me to go to the hospital. The first week of Y2K, for my fiancée and I, was spent in an ICU room, with her sleeping on the floor for much of the time. She left only to go home to shower.
What made things really tough on her is the fact that were had been together for barely a month at that point. We were high school sweethearts who were separated by events tossed at us by life. Seventeen years later, we were once again reunited.
This year, however, what’s in store for December 31? Well, let’s see. My children came for a visit during Christmas. That was a pleasant and welcome experience, even with the few healthy doses of Parenting Reality tossed in for good measure. The children were to return home on December 29, but because of a snowstorm that blasted the Midwest, they were forced to lengthen their visit until New Year’s Eve. That was another dose of Parental Reality, but not totally unwelcome. In fact, it seems to have actually turned out to be a blessing – and lesson – in disguise for both my fiancée and myself.
Looking back over the years, what I’ve noticed is that people have forgotten how to do many of the things that were considered ordinary and commonplace. No longer do people write and mail letters to each other. No longer do we have printed stationery. Many people would be lost to sit down and discuss the day’s events, let alone explain what the editorial in today’s paper means.
Technology has ushered in many good things, such as CAT scans, MRI machines, and many other medical devices. We also have items such as digital clock radios, answering machines, and home computers. CNN is on the spot in most every nation of the world and brings the news of the world to you every half hour. Sure, it isn’t in-depth reporting, but at least you have a headline summary of the world. The problem I have with that is most people will not spend the time to learn any of the details behind daily happenings. Most people cannot offer the history of an event today. Sure, for news stories such as the Florida Chad Debate, it’s overkill. For other stories, such as current debates in genome research, a 30-second version of the story will do. Thirty seconds, to me, isn’t enough time for a decent summary.
About 40 percent of all Americans have email access, yet many of the people with email don’t even send a letter to friends or family – by snail mail or email. Jokes, forwards of sob stories, and, of course, cartoons seem to be the biggest and most important thing to send with this terrific medium.
Computer prices are dropping and more people are getting computers in their home. For some, it’s a blessing, but for others it’s a curse. For some, researching a subject, such as cancer, will be the main issue. Others will use the new computer to maintain contact with family in distant areas, while others will use the computer to attack and harm others.
As we enter 2001, I keep up with legislation that lawmakers in the United States are eyeing about the future of free speech on the Internet. I worry as they try to ban things, but also as they try to put enforcement guards in place. Software filtering in public libraries is a good idea, but with the filtering software in use today, the filtering is a hindrance and should not be used. If a high school student were researching current information on a titmouse, the search would produce no results because a “no-no” word was used in the search. The answer to “protecting” children from objectionable material, censoring society, and communistic rule is now thinned.
There are many issues I think about, but none more than how people treat each other. Violent crimes, according to recent studies, is down, yet each day I hear more and more news on the TV and radio about how much people seem to hate each other. Things to me don’t seem to be getting better. I used to feel safe walking where I wanted. Today, there are many areas in Chicago, Philadelphia, and other cities that I would not walk through because I don’t believe I would survive. That’s a real fear of many people. It’s not a race issue – it’s primarily a gang and drug issue, yet neither issue is easily resolved.
My hopes for people in the coming year include happiness, hope for the future, and prosperity in all areas of the lives of people everywhere. Sure, it’s simple and one shared by many others, but I’m just a simple man.
Happy New Year. Feliz Año Nuevo. Heureuse Nouvelle Année. Glückliches Neues
Jahr. Felice Nuovo Anno. Feliz Novo Ano.
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"Snow, the Real Millennium, and Reality"
