Erich Stauffer

Tag: Aging

  • Generation X; Analog to Digital

    gameboy_256In the same way saw the Greatest Generation saw the change from horse drawn carriages to automobiles and the birth of airplanes to the rise of the space shuttle, Generation X has seen firsthand the transition from analog to digital: carbon copies to CC: and BCC:, and a slide rule to an iPod. GenXers began life processing credit cards at the grocery store with a carbon copy slider, called an “imprinter”. When they went to school, their teachers made worksheet copies using a “mimeograph machine” in purple ink. They were the last to be taught how to type on typewriters and the first to use a personal computer in school. Some started out on Apple IIs and others on IBM PC clones. By the time they were leaving primary school and entering college, portable computers and cell phones were common. The World Wide Web had turned the Internet mainstream. It was now odd for a GenXer to not have an email address and a cell phone number.

    Some things didn’t change though. The paperless office didn’t happen. More things were put online and sent via email, but paper remains in the office, schools, and at home. Email has decreased the use of paper mail though. Another example is flying cars. We still don’t have flying cars even though Back to the Future says we will by 2015 (we’ve got 6 years to get on that). Another hint from Back to the Future is cold fusion, which is still a dream. However recent breakthroughs by MIT in solar power technology may lead to a new era of cheap electricity which could change the economy in desert regions around the world.

    Read more about Generation X.

  • Television Re-Defined

    Snuffaluffagus ProofThe lines between television and the Internet have been blurring so long I hereby no longer define television as a device which sits in your living room, but as a medium that can be played anywhere. I can play television on any device I choose. I have come not to be thankful that the shows I see on traditional television networks are available online, but to expect it – and when they are not, I am shocked, then angry.

    I can view television on my LG cellphone, my Apple iPhone, my HP netbook, my Dell Desktop. I can play TV on the Internet through a network’s website such as ABC.com, NBC.com, or CBS.com, or through aggregate networks like Hulu.com. My favorite, by far though is on Netflix using their instant viewing feature. My wife now watches more shows on Netflix than on our XP Media Center PC, which saves shows from cable television.

    Wired Magazine ran an article April 2007 entitled, “The TV Is Dead. Long Live the TV”. The gist is that, “TV is evolving into something new and hardly recognizable to generations raised on its earlier incarnations.” This evolution is more of a time-and-space separation. Where and what we watch is no longer coupled with a specific device, location, or time of day. But what does this do to the previous culture we had whereby office cooler or dinner table talk revolved around the happenings of a popular show? The term “popular” is now somewhat irrelevant. You might even go as far to say that going forward, markets won’t exist, only niches and micro-niches.

    In the photo you can see me pointing out “proof” that Snuffaluffagus exists.  This is a sort of inside-joke between peers of my generation who grew up watching Sesame Street back when Big Bird was the only one who could see “Snuffy.”  This was also back when the Cookie Monster actually was allowed to eat cookies, but both have changed.  Nowadays, are there enough children watching Sesame Street to allow for such inside-jokes? This isn’t a problem, per se, but just a reflection of our times.  You might even say, “The Market is Dead. Long Live the Market.”

  • LOST: The evolution of Jack Shephard part 1

    We all know that life imitates art and art imitates life.  I am fascinated by almost all of the characters on LOST, but for me, the most complicated and interesting survivor of Flight 815 is Jack Shephard.  My spell checker tells me that this is not the correct way to spell “shepherd”.  Perhaps the creators of lost intentionally wanted “hard” to be a part of his name.  After nearly five seasons of the story unfolding, we have seen many times where Jack experiences something…. “hard”.

    The linear storyline that begins at the plane crash paints Jack as a hero and a leader right away.  Someone who takes charge and makes decisions.  A man of action.  (On a side note, it’s an interesting play on words of our site here:  man + aging + actions.)  Nobody takes a vote, but Jack is obviously the de facto leader.

    Through flashbacks, we learn how Jack has become a successful spinal surgeon.  By watching and shadowing his father, he takes on what he believes is valuable in his father, while trying to reject his father’s “weaknesses”, namely alcoholism.  Jack has a very systematic approach to growth and life.  Everything is fixable.  He sees the pieces that make up a person, or a situation, and attacks or rejects those pieces that seem bad.  In this way, he is making the WHOLE person or situation…better.

    Oddly, it is his greatest surgical triumph that leads him to a romantic relationship and marriage.  His problem with fixing Sarah, though, is that he cannot understand what he did to fix her.  She believes that he fixed her, and adores him for it.  Jack does not believe in miracles, so he does not know how to explain how she was healed.  He continues his role of “fixer” in their relationship, until there is seemingly nothing left to fix.  Their relationship peaked at its genesis.  After a few years, Jack kisses another woman and quickly confesses it to his wife, along with promises to fix their relationship, be more present with her, be a better man, etc.  But for Sarah, it is too late.  The relationship ends.

    Jack’s ability to compartmentalize things does serve him well on the island.  When he gets scared, counting to five allows him to focus in on his task and block out everything in the way of that task.  When something needs to get done, Jack does it, or finds somebody else that will.  He has the largest impact on the group as a whole, based on his actions.  Jack thrives on problems, because they give him a chance to offer solutions and execute his plan.  In life, this is particularly important, because not many people believe that a world without problems is right around the corner.

    If you can define your task, focus, and complete it, you will succeed in many things.  BUT, if you let your ability to accomplish tasks define WHO YOU ARE, then disappointment, sadness, and frustration are inevitable.  My friend Ric McClain often said that we are “human beings” not “human doings”.  It seems that Jack fell into a trap of letting his actions define who he IS.  It leads him to accomplish the main task of the survivors…getting off of the island.  What joy does this leave him with though?  An addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs.  Instead of being a leader of society, he is now a borderline sociopath.  There are no tasks to complete as big as the ones he has already completed.  His identity and foundation are shaken.

    In part 2, I would like to share my thoughts on Jack’s low point: staring down off of a bridge, contemplating ending his life with a jump.  Until then, please leave any comments about  your thoughts on Jack’s journey, or the struggle to be defined by your actions.

  • People Watching in Utah

    I’m sitting in the Salt Lake City airport.  I’m casually doing some people watching.  There is a women’s college basketball team that has gone back and forth in their matching kelly green hooded sweat shirts and sweat pants.  They seem to be on their way to play a game, but they could be returning.  They are loose, laughing, casual, and seemingly a bit boy crazy.  They look my way now and again, maybe wondering if I am married or not.  It’s flattering, but I can’t really see myself “with” any of them.  It’s not that they aren’t physically attractive, they just can’t capture my attention at this point in my life.

    I have also noticed a good amount of older couples meandering through the terminal.  It’s interesting to notice all of their similarities, and not see too many differences.  They seem to move in tandem, with one leading the other.  So far, more men leading than women.  Both seem a little resigned to be with the other.  They probably want to go to the same place, but they don’t seem to be enjoying the journey to get there.  I look at the women and try to imagine them as girls once again.  Maybe they played on a basketball team at some point, “back in the day”.  Maybe they were boy crazy at one point too.  Maybe they latched on to one of these boys and ended up marrying one of them.  Walking down the aisle with stars in their eyes.  An end of innocence, a turning of the page.  But a page that they turn willfully, proudly, passionately even.

    The group of people I have been most struck by today have been the middle aged mothers.  I have always been drawn to young children.  Their joy for life is often impossible to contain, even in a sterile airport in February.  But its their mothers that are speaking to me today.  Not literally, but in the looks of pride on their faces.  There is a tangible sense of “I’m doing it!” beaming from them every time someone mentions how cute their son or daughter is.

    I’m not sure if it is this place, or my perspective that is different today.  Typically, the mothers I see tend to be worn out, beaten down, and ready for a break.  Perhaps it is the completion of the flight that is reason to celebrate, or at least smile for a bit.  Maybe it is the anticipation of the destination and the impending joy for their children and the trip that is almost upon them.  Maybe it’s none or all of these things.

    Maybe they saw the green machine basketball girls too.  Maybe they remembered what it was like to have such a fun and enjoyable task as a “job” and the excitement of a possible flirtatious encounter.  Maybe they saw the older couples as well and felt a different sense of pride for them, like an appreciation of a race well run.  That comfort of a companion who has cheered the same victories, and fought the same fights.  It’s something they look forward to, although with the same longing for love that they had as a young woman.  They seem to know that either way, there is a lot of life left to live, especially for their kids.  I’m happy to believe that these women still have for their own fulfillment and joy to long for and live in.

    The Joy of the Journey

    It is a long way from beginning to end, but there isn’t time to wish you were somewhere else on the journey.  Maybe you have kids, maybe you have a career, maybe you are student.  If you have starting something that you know will continute in the the future for a considerable amount of time, it only makes sense to enjoy it.  A lot of things in life feel like you “have to”.  The solution is to change your thinking into understanding that you “want to”.  Search around the site to find more ways to grow into this way of thinking.