Modernization: A danger to our generation?

A hectic day at work, and an almost 3hour drive home with the boo, it was no surprise we got home famished. Thank goodness he joined me on the drive home (for the first time EVER) otherwise, I would have ended up going through the hideous traffic alone. I loved every moment of it - I got home feeling all energetic. The things that having good company do to me *sigh*. For the good deed bestowed on me, I was able to make dinner of rice & stew within an hour. The boo had a friend over who was staying over for the night so, dinner was for 3. They were chatting away in the air-conditioned living room while I slaved away made dinner, sneezing from all the heat through it all. I stayed in the kitchen all through the one hour process. Then when I was done, I took a seat in the now very cool living room to rest my feet. I knew these two men were very hungry but I decided to be a meanie for a minute and didn’t talk about the food. Until one of them could bear it anymore and asked the golden question; “How far with the food na?” “It’s been ready sinceee”, I replied. In his apparent confusion, he asked me, “Ah Ahn, so what are we waiting for?” And with a straight face I said, “You guys should go and have your bath first.” Our visitor screamed first, and then burst into laughter. We were practically laughing our asses out. I mean, that’s the least thing a grown man would have expected to hear. He’s freaking hungry from a hard day at work. Then he suddenly started to talk about how that was a torture for him as a child. How his grandma always insisted on a shower before dinner and how he cried especially as he loved his food. He also mentioned how his grandma used to make sure that they had dinner latest 5pm and after that there was no hope for food till morning. He was thankful for finally becoming a man and the freedom to do what he likes. That led me to recount how much of the practices the older generations were involved in that made them fit, strong, healthy and live long. They never heard some of the diseases we hear about today. We hardly saw overweight people. We called those practices archaic, we walked away from them for the ‘jet age’ but like a prodigal generation that we are, we’re gradually falling back to the original course of things. For instance, our foodie friend’s parents always insisted on an early dinner while growing up. He wanted to be able to eat anytime and got that freedom as a man. But now, nutritionists say the way to a fit body and better health is having your last meal latest 6pm. We have to re-adjust our settings. Ladies with virgin hair had been perceived as unfashionable years back when relaxers were discovered in Africa, but today we’ve found out that relaxer actually damages the hair in the long run and everyone is transitioning back to the virgin hair days. The real life virgins nko? In the good old days it was a thing of pride for every party involved to be married off as a virgin and to be married to a virgin. ‘Testing the product’ before marriage became the cool thing to do. Now girls take pride in abstinence once again. Source: everyculture They didn’t have cars in years past and were very physically active. They did a lot of walking and carrying heavy objects. We chose the easy way out and invented cars and booths, but now we have to take those walks we thought we avoided and lift those objects in the gyms..this time for a price of course. Mothers cooked daily, kids climbed trees and plucked fresh fruits for fun. We said, ‘Rubbish, let’s put the food in cans and make refrigerators and microwave later’, now we hear that microwaving food in plastic bowls is a danger to your cancer free existence plus the doctors tell you eating fresh food and fruits is a safer option. We ‘embalm’ our turkey just like dead humans and consume all the chemical courtesy frozen food. As much as modernization is a beautiful thing that brought relief and comfort to millions. We can’t help but look back and appreciate the beauty and benefits of nature and the values of the days of old. Alternative medicine in my opinion is amazing too. Because I’m a witness of how it helped my dad completely eradicate diabetes. The list is endless. I’m sure you recall a couple of ways that the older generations were doing better and now we have to fall back to the way they lived their lives. Now I wonder, is modernization even possible without compromise? Of values and quality of life? Kindly share your thoughts and fond memories with us. Trust me you’ll appreciate the flash backs Don’t just walk away now. Please leave your comments. Have a great day ahead. @eskidon