1984

In 1949 George Orwell's book "1984" was published. There is some remarkable insight into the future and made me think about the technology that has become available and how things have changed since 1984.

I was thirty years old in 1984 I had just started using a computer and really wasn't getting the hang of it. I had lead a life until this point that the only technical things I had ever had to learn were to turn a TV/Radio on and off and change the channels, my phones were landlocked and all I had to do was punch in only seven #'s to make a phone call to someone within 50 miles of me, to reach further would have made my bill higher.......My car had just been updated to one with AC with an ON/OFF switch to operate. I could change the clock, put a cassette tape in and tune the radio with a few simple steps.

In '84 I was used to the 10 extra channels I could get on TV by subscribing to cable. I had just gotten a VCR and my Dad had a video camera that weighed 25 pounds. The pictures we took with our cameras with film could be processed in 2-3 days. We had a microwave, again with a ON/OFF switch, our dishwasher and stove had knobs. Our fridge only kept things cold and, if we were lucky, it could make some ice and defrost itself.

In 84' I kept in touch with friends and relatives through cards, letters and phone calls if they lived in the same town. Our bank statements required extra postage because they were sending cancelled checks back for us to store. Anything we bought required going to the store. My bills came in the mailbox.

In '84 I think we knew it was possible to have a phone in our cars but it seemed as distant as me flying to the moon. We played Solitaire, and Yahtzee
with a deck of cards, a cup and some dice.

In '84 I had been out of high school for eleven years and anyone I hadn't kept in contact with were people I knew that I would only see again by chance or a class reunion. If I missed an episode of Dallas I could only hope to catch the rerun.

In '84 loved ones could walk each other right to the gate when boarding a plane. Princess Diana was every one's princess and Michael Jackson was that talented kid who grew up to be the world's greatest entertainer. The President of the United States was old enough to be my grandfather.

In '84 there were four food groups and not a pyramid. We knew that smoking and caffeine were not the best for us and we tried to quit or cut down. We knew what illegal drugs were but had never heard of "Crack" or "Red Bull".

In '84 a woman who was flat chested stayed that way. The only way to lose weight were diet, exercise and amphetamines. A face lift was an option of the very rich and there were no surgeries to sculpt tummies and thighs. The only way to make your hair look longer was to buy a wig or grow it out. If you had no eyelashes you could buy fake ones that looked like little spiders.

In '84 I wasn't a Mother and could run ten miles a day while holding a great full-time job. My hair was it's original color. I had never lost a friend or parent to a horrible disease. I had been married six years and was so busy living in the moment to worry about the future.

Flash forward twenty-seven years to 2011 and there is no need to expand on the gadgets I have, the joy I've received and the lessons learned from the sorrows. Since '84 I have become older (making the best of it) and, MAN, I am so much wiser. Bring it on future!