Old-fashioned dating is actually more fun than I am making it sound. But people are becoming skittish in the face of minor discomforts. Consider the surge in popularity of hand-held devices, such as cell phones. Originally touted as communication tools, they’ve become toys for adults to help deal with the intermittent spells of boredom that have been a part of the human condition since forever. That snooze-filled ride to work can be eased by yapping incessantly into your earpiece or furiously texting nonsense words to some other overgrown adolescent also stuck in traffic. We can call this progress, until the aforementioned texting driver plows over an old lady pushing a cart full of adorable kitties. Then it becomes a problem begging for a solution.
Convenience is insatiable. That little innovation that supposedly makes your life so much easier will eventually become obsolete. Some other gadget will take its place, which you will be forced to purchase if you want to keep up with the convenience arms race. Meanwhile, some people in our world pine for food and clean water, while you pine for more bandwidth.
Not so long ago, people experienced some degree of success without the benefits of the many modern conveniences that are now standard in most American households. Children were born, calls were returned in a somewhat timely manner, boredom was usually survived without major catastrophe. People dated and mated without intervention of statisticians and other unnecessary contrivances aimed at ensuring compatibility. No one died from having to wait in line without distraction, or take a long car trip without a DVD player. In my day, we had to talk to each other on car trips. In fact, that was sort of the reason you took them - to become closer to loved ones.
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