What Do You Like Most About Living In The Here And Now?

One thing I like about living in this age is that women are not shamed for being single mothers. In fact I think today a lot of kids grow up either with a single parent or in a blended family. My mom was a single mother who raised two little girls by herself. Growing up in a small town in the 1980s that wasn't easy. My mom often had to deal with gossip and speculation (even though there was nothing to gossip about) and me and my sister sometimes had to deal with unkind comments. I'm glad that today people are more understanding and raising children by yourself isn't something to be frowned on.

There are many great things about living in this present time but as a woman I would have to say freedom of choice. While my mum and grandmothers' generations weren't necessarily forced into doing anything they didn't want to do, they did have certain expectations put upon them which is something I didn't have to put up with. I had a job that involved travelling a lot which I loved and I spent much of my twenties doing that before I settled down with my partner and had our family. I'm glad that starting a family young was not something I felt pressured into doing.

There's lots of things to be grateful for in the modern age but just one thing I'll mention is the mobile phone! Whenever I watch a TV show pre-early 90s, there might be a situation where there might be a need to call someone and they would either have to look for a pay phone or return home. This baffles me for a second until I realize that there actually was a time when we weren't glued to our phones - mainly because we didn't have one! I know there's a lot of criticisms and concerns towards having a mobile phone - or for our American friends, a cell phone - and lots claim that they've taken over our lives. And while yes there is some overuse of mobile phones, no one can say that they aren't handy especially in an emergency. So thank goodness we live in an age where mobile phones are the norm.

While I admit that there are a lot of things that do trouble me about the world that we live in, there are of course lots of positives as well. I'm of mixed race and in a mixed marriage so my children therefore are also of mixed heritage. And while we have had to endure the odd bit of nastiness, things are a lot better than it was in the past. I know that because my parents had to deal with so much worse. So I'm glad that there's a lot less ignorance about such relationships than there was in the past.

And like a lot of other people have said progress with medicine and technology. I know a lot of people complain when they have to video call their doctor rather than see them face to face, which we would all prefer, but it's better than nothing and there was a time when even video calling wasn't possible.

And while not everyone will agree with me on this one, I am grateful for social media. As someone who suffers from anxiety, social media, Instagram in particular has proved to be something of a godsend when it comes to talking to people and making connections, and the community that I am a part of have been really supportive. There was time before social media when loneliness was a very real thing. It's also been quite good for me workwise as well.

I think it's just being more knowledgeable and having more information so that we can make more informed decisions and better choices whether that be politics, environmental issues, concerns over our childrens' education etc. I also like that society, even though not perfect, is alot more tolerant than it used to be. I like that women have more choices today and can live their lives as they choose, and that gay people can legally marry and have kids.

Totally agree with everyone about the progress in medicine. I'm also glad to be living in an age where mental health conditions are being taken more seriously and people are a lot more aware. The stigma attached to have problems with your mental health are diminishing as it should.

As a mum who's concerned about the future of the planet and the health and wellbeing of her children, I would say that improvements in healthcare and medical research, and a better understanding of environmental problems and what we need to do to put things right. I'm also quite pleased that electric cars are starting to become more of a thing here in Britain, although I know some people have had them for decades.

I think for me it's that we live in an age where people travel more. The pandemic has disrupted that a bit but prior to Covid, it was very rare to meet someone, in Britain at least, who had never travelled abroad before. My mum says that was much more common before I was born, and even if they did go abroad it was usually to somewhere very touristy like Corfu or Benidorm where they were really a home away from home! But for my generation at least, travel and exploring lesser known places is definitely more of a thing. And I'm not just talking holiday destinations but people are even upping sticks and moving to other parts of the world - just like my family did when my sister and I were very young. It wasn't as common back then to go and live in another country as it is today. Most people just continued to live in the place they were born but people today are moving away for all sorts of reasons so that's definitely becoming a thing of the past. I think that exploring the world is an education in itself and I think everyone should travel to other places and even live in another country for a while.

Great question, Bailamos! Of course we love our nostalgia here. And for me nostalgia is definitely my happy place. But you're right in that there are many good things about the here and now. Medical advancements being the most obvious of course. There was a time when certain illnesses meant instant death. But thanks to research and all kinds of medical innovations, many people now have a better chance of beating diseases that may otherwise have quickly claimed their lives and for that alone, I'm very grateful for life in the more modern age.

As an expat, I'm also grateful for all the apps and devices which mean that I can stay in contact with family and friends - and more often than not for free! And just think, if Covid had occurred during the mid part of the twentieth century, how many of us would have been able to work from home? But modern technology enabled millions of people from all over the world to do just that.