What have we done?

I usually tell myself that I am going to complete this blog post before Sunday evening, but for some reason, I always end up doing other things instead. This weekend was quite enjoyable for me. I stayed in my residence hall and spent time with friends on Friday evening, after finishing a long week at school which included a midterm on Friday morning. Saturday I woke up at 10 am to meet with my father, who was visiting from Asheville, and travel to Cary for a referee assignment that I had. I refereed the Duke women’s soccer match against Minnesota University. From there I grabbed some Indian cuisine with my father, and returned to campus for some intense racquetball.
While in the car, on the way back to campus, I mentioned to my father that I wondered what it would be like to live in the 60’s and 70’s. I had a Simon and Garfunkel song stuck in my head, and its sweet melody and creative lyrics brought me into a state of deep thought on the meaning of life as we know it today. I know that to many, this is not a profound event, but for me I really questioned a lot.
In modern times, it seems to me that a majority of people are preoccupied within our recent technological craze. People are constantly focused on a screen, whether it is a computer, television, iPod, or any other device. Everyone is always in a hurry to hustle and bustle and fit as many things as possible into one day. I am aware that I partake in these activities, largely because of school and other obligations, but it really overwhelms me at times. Many days I feel have just flown by without any real significance coming out of them. Did I meet anyone new? Did I invest in my personal relationships with family or a loved one? To me, I think it is possible that with modern societal norms, people overlook the simplicity of just living. I mean, imagine what this world was like thirty years ago. Sure people were busy with work and school, but even then the social scene was different and most likely the pace of life.
With all of these “improvements” in our lives, we can find the cheapest gas in town online, we can drive to places we have never been to before with the push of a button, and we can access almost any piece of information known to man with a computer. This almost takes the joy out of living, I feel, by making things so convenient. We lose appreciation for the “hunt” or the search for things. Now trust me, I love the internet and it is extremely helpful, I was just using it as an example. I do think, however, that we have advanced to the point where people have lost the concept of living by trying to enhance everything that we were provided with. I do not think it is necessary for us to rid ourselves of all of our amenities, but I think a balance is necessary.