Questionable Adaptations

Our world is made up of our past. Without our pasts there would be no futures in front of us. We would be forever snared in the present. Our pasts may be extraneous bits of information that most don't take the time to reflect upon; but without them we would be at an impasse.

Which Came First?

Our pasts may be important, but are they vital? Or just insipid facts worth forgetting?

Forget.

I could see why people would think it best to castigate all of the remembrances of our pasts as a human race. Why remember generations that don't appear necessary for our lifetime? I mean, don't our history classes give us enough insipid data for us to drool-over?

We live in the world of the "tech-ies". My generation has evolved and adapted with all of the new technologies that surround us today. Our ancestors tell the stories of when they were younger, and they were lucky to have a radio. Books were their "get-aways". But in our futures--with our children--they will gape at us as we share the stories of when we had regular DVD players, or when the first iPods came out. I come to wonder: Is it us evolving? Or are we adapting to the evolving technologies'? And is this a good or bad thing? The new technologies are a beneficial part of our future; as long as we remember our pasts.

Recently, a new iPhone (the iPhone 4S) came out. There were millions of people lined-up outside Apple stores on June 24th; eagerly awaiting for their new phones. Once they receive them, they are filled with copious amounts of happiness, and love their iPhone for days. But after the new iPhone 4S is slowly absorbed, its avarice is slowly emaciated. We begin to examine our phones and doubt our sudden purchase(s). In a raw report of the iPhone 4S, they state that the new iPhone isn't very different than Apple's previous product: the iPhone 4. "it's no radical rethinking of last year's iPhone 4".

What these reporters don't seem to manifest, is the evidence of how far we have come in life. They can't comprehend the fact that once in our lives, we had the first iPhone. It didn't have a number; or a successor. It was just one of Steve Jobs's experimental sales. Although, it almost immediately became a necessity to the public, and all other Internet-savvy phones were immediate forms of ignominy.

"We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility of our future."

~Anonymous~

Remember. 

Look around the room you're currently in. You will find yourself oblivious to the motley pieces of technology that surround you. Now, expunge all of those lovely technologies out of the room. Think hard about the items you are about to jettison from your life...

Many people may stop after they ostracize their computers and cell phones and assume they are done. But what they don't think about is that everything we have today has evolved at some point in time. That includes: any supplies, furniture, clothing, and even the very structure you find yourself in. In the end, you find yourself sitting bare upon a pile of rocks.

You--as well as every other human being--are oblivious of the circumstances you have been blessed with. You may also be disregarding how vital they can be to your way of life.

Our pasts are a part of us. Even the times before our time can affect us in the largest ways. Without evolution we would never enter the modern world; we would be castigated into a primal state.

Our world will always grow. We will never stop creating new problems for ourselves, and we will never fail at finding ways to fix them. Evolution is a form of infinity. This cycle of life may have a few dents. It may throw us for a loop. It may display candid evidence of our futures. But we will adapt; as we always have. Without evolution's infinity, we will be stuck in a world of the never knowing, and lost in the mindset of the forever eager.

"The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it."

~Anonymous~

The Hidden Flaws Of Role Models

As kids, we always have that one person we look up to: Our role model. Whether it's a movie star, politician, or simply a family relative; we always have that one person we can look up to for that extra boost of hope or advice we need to keep going.

Role Model (n)
   ~a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.

Role models can be our "go-to" with every issue in our daily lives. A teenager looks up to any model for their early-morning fashion crisis's; a college athlete may take his free time to study the videos of his favorite quarterback; and I listen to my favorite music artists every day to block-out all of the bad instances in life. But what if these idols of ours aren't all they're cut-out to be? Sometimes we are so desperate to follow someone else that we lose sight of what is going-on inside of our media-enveloped world. Just because she wears the best clothes, he throw with perfect dynamics, or they sing at perfect pitch, does not mean that they are flawless beings. Often, these role models can be quite egotistical themselves, which draws in their admirers even more.

Let's start off with a very common form of these "big-headed" deities of ours. How about Chris Brown for example? Everyone looked up at this Pop legend for quite some times till he committed his career-suicide act of heresy. Chris Brown was discovered at an early age of 13 years-old in his dad's gas station. He was believed to have great talent, and this young star quickly gave hope to millions of teenagers. About seven years later, Chris was heard of beating up his girlfriend: Rihanna (who was also a successful pop icon). His fans were heartbroken. How could such an inspiring young-adult turn into such a savage person after all that he's accomplished. Many Chris Brown fanatics are still in doubt--believing that he is/was too good of a person to do such a thing.

We, as fans, are easily abetted into believing we have connections to our role models. We may feel that our heroes understand us and care for us. In most cases, we look up to those who are out of reach, and therefore, they are unable to make real-world connections with us. I have a close friend who is a fan of Chris Brown, and still doesn't believe the evidence they have shown towards Chris Brown's beating Rihanna. He claims that "Chris just wasn't himself that day". He will never admit to the harsh truths of Chris's gauche actions because he believes they have a connection. But in actuality, my friend has an obsession. Humans commonly obsess in the seeming-perfect aspects in our lives, which makes us defy the truths on occasion.

In Lord of the Flies, the young boys stranded onto a lonely island are forced to coexist with each other's inabilities and talents. Although, they constantly refer to the adults whenever it is time to make an important decision. But what they don't realize are the adults they look up to so much are actually not the best role models. In these children's years, there was a horrific war--known as World War II--which caused adults to act-out in the most savage of ways.

"Call the role in your memory of conspicuously successful business giants and... you will be struck by the fact that almost every one of them encountered inordinate difficulties sufficient to crush all but the gamest of spirits. Edison went hungry many times before he became famous."

-B.C. Forbes-