21st Century Pariah

I've always thought this was the case... in fact, I know I've said so many a time. However, KP brought it to my attention once again. She pointed out that maybe, perhaps, for some reason... I don't belong in the 21st century.

You probably don't think this is the case. I mean, after all, I have adapted QUITE well, considering. I use the internet and computers with skill and finesse. Having such a vast amount of knowledge at my fingertips is...wonderful. Irreplaceable. In fact, I just spent five seconds looking up lyrics to a song that I'm listening to. I love my portable music/cell phone/calculator/alarm clock/watch/text messaging machine. I LOVE the vast amount of music that is avaialable. MUSE, LUDO, Boys II Men...haha. Ask my dad, my computer is FULL of music. And I listen to way more than I own on Pandora. It is SO nice being able to talk to my parents 2,000 miles away in Ohio, or my friends living in Michigan or California or Idaho. I spend more time in front of the television and movie theaters than necessary. I love traveling, and despite how difficult it is with the TSA crap we have to go through every time we fly - it's not like we're sailing over the ocean in a boat filled with plague or bumping around in horse and buggy. Or walking. I love driving, despite the price of gas. I DIE of heat on a daily basis, despite the wonderful air conditioning that cools everything...except my car. *shrug* Oh, and there's the whole medical thing, and drugs and advancements made in feminie hygiene and such.

Okay, maybe living in a different century would be hard. Well, not maybe. It would be. Could I give up all of those advantages? Those are just the luxury luxuries. What about the hot, running water? What about the fact that I can go to the store and have all vitamins and minerals available with foods that aren't even in season, but somehow still available? Or the fact that there are vaccinations against all sorts of deadly diseases? If I were born in the 1700s, I might have died before reaching age 5 of some sort of mumps, measles, typhus, etc. I guess the great thing about being born in another century would be that I wouldn't know any different. I wouldn't think that it was harder, because I wouldn't know it could be easier. Of course, this is all sounding as if I had the option - which I don't.

But it's definitely going to be one of the questions I ask Heavenly Father when I get back to Him. Why? Why 1985 and not 1785 or 1885? Both times seem MUCH more interesting and definitely have more appeal than now. I mean, these were times when new places were being discovered, countries shaped, inventions that changed lifestyles were being invented. Now, it's like we've lost all creativity. Sure we have new versions of things coming out all the time, but it's the same thing. Over and over and over. These people were inventing things that had never been seen before.

Plus, there were a lot more rules and standards, and etiquette. Now, granted, I'm not the most proper person in the world. I think I would have liked to live during all of that only for the sake of breaking all the societal rules. Like showing off my ankle! Yes, I would be quite rebellious. Now, if I want to be rebellious, I have to walk around naked...and even then, some places it's acceptable. *shudder*

Fortunately, after daydreaming about all the romantic adventures I would have had living in 1808, I remember that all the books I read (Gabaldon, Gist, Ibbotson, McClure, etc.) are writing about just that...romantic adventures. Granted, they all write about the disease and malnutrition, famine, natural disasters, dying of a fever, etc. etc. etc. (Especially Gabaldon, she does not soften the blow of the hardships at all.) But still, they are fictional stories that characterize the main characters as still these beautiful people where love conquers all...even disease. I know it's not realistic. I look at pictures of cowboys and such from the 1800s, and they were not the handsome, beautiful, rugged, masculine...*sigh* men that I imagine when I'm reading about Ryder Maddox or Brevan McClean. I KNOW that. I do. I sear.

Doesn't mean I like living in 2008, all of the time.