One of the joys of being older is the time we have to spend with friends. By the time we reach this stage of life, most of us have gotten over caring about how we look, what we wear, what we’ve done, etc. It just feels good to spend time with those we’ve come to love and appreciate, whether that is work-related, church-related, a neighbor, or someone we met while volunteering. And speaking of volunteering, volunteering can be one of the most satisfying and enriching things we do in life.
I feel sad for the younger generations who expect to be paid for everything they do. Being a volunteer has opened me to so many things that have changed the way I think, feel, and understand. For instance, I spent 20 years as an official visitor to the Pa. Prison Society. Visiting the men and women who had been incarcerated for this or that quickly taught me that we had far more in common than we had differences. The majority of men and women I met were there because they were poor, addicts had severe learning disabilities, or simply made some bad choices. One of the most tragic things about our so-called justice system is that once guilty, always guilty. Having a record gets in the way of finding good jobs, etc.
It’s no wonder we’ve made bad decisions such as this election, as far too many have become victims of online algorithms and biased news channels that brainwashed us and prevented us from gathering together to talk, laugh, share, and eat together. Instead we stare at our phones or other devices, allowing AI to decide what we get to read and learn. A part of me remains positive, but to be truthful, I feel pretty hopeless in the way Big Brother has taken over. Reading THE QUIET DAMAGE was a real downer for me. While it made me more sympathetic toward those who fell down the rabbit hole, I blame Facebook, Twitter, and all the other platforms that choose what we get to see. Their algorithms determine what version of the news we read and what information we discover. I am so grateful to be an old woman who maintains a healthy distrust of technology. I appreciate what it can do for me, like sending out these blogs, but my computer or cell phone is not where I go for information. Nor is it where I spend the bulk of my time. Give me a good book or time with a friend any day.