Write a magazine feature for older readers called ‘Brave New World’. The feature should try to persuade the reader that current and future technology is not simply aimed at young people but that it can benefit older people too. The article should be written in a lively and interesting way.
Writer: Umme Salma GadriwalaThe advent of the 21st century brought with itself a storm of new gadgets that befuddle you. You find yourself surrounded by new gizmos that fail to make sense. Gone are the good old days when telephone was a luxury and listening to the radio was a treat after a long, tiring day.
Mr. Adnan, sixty-five year old retired accountant, says, “Just three decades ago, the computer in my neighborhood was a funny looking box with a black and white television screen. Back then, it only did the math for you; but it was so difficult to use that I would rather do it myself.”
You remember, penning down verses of love for your special one, posting them and waiting days for replies. Though the wait was tiresome, you liked it that way.
However, your descendants disagreed.
They found the landline too settled; they wanted it to be portable. The television is now flooded with channels you had not heard of before.
Living in a metropolis, seventy-two year old Mrs. Pervez, recalls, “In my college days, there was only one channel – PTV, and it aired dramas once a week. Oh! What amazing plots they had.”
The letters are replaced with emails and SMS, where messages are delivered within minutes and seconds.
In the train you see young teenagers glaring at their mobile phones, with loud music blasting in their ears and mindlessly tapping their feet, oblivious to the world around them. At home, your three-year-old grandchild talks about Angry Birds at the dinner table, and your teenage grandson barely turns his head from the flashing screen when you talk to him.
“I’m Facebook-ing granddad!” he replies.
Mrs. Irfan, seventy-eight and a widow, says, “After my husband’s death, my daughter bought me a ‘smart’ phone, to keep in touch. I don’t know what was so smart about it. I couldn’t even make a call!”
While you feel alienated in this new world of modern devices, it is possible to befriend these aliens. A recent survey conducted by the University of Sheffield, UK, indicated that 85% of the older people who adapted to the changing times, found the gadgets highly engaging and useful.
Mr. Hussain, who is in his mid-sixties, says that it was his granddaughter who taught him how to use a mobile phone. “I have arthritis, and therefore could not help out much in the household chores. However, with my mobile phone, I can now order groceries, pay bills and stay in touch with my friends.”
These tools can help you improve the quality of your life and bridge the gap it has created between you and your children. At the dinner table, you can now join in the conversation about Angry Birds with your grandson.
Mr. Ali, a playful seventy year old, full of life, was introduced to Angry Birds by his seven-year-old enthusiastic neighbor. “I can’t sleep without having played a game or two of Angry Birds. It’s competitive, energetic and really gets my mind running.”
Thanks to these technologies, the world is now closer. Visiting your daughter in Australia (if you can get through the tedious visa procedures) is now only a matter of hours. Not only has it become faster, but also easier and more comfortable.
Mrs. Khalid, grandmother of two, articulates, “My son has been working in Norway for over ten years now. Thanks to the ease of travel, I can now visit him and my grandchildren every year.”
In the second innings of your life, opening up your mind to this new world, will also open a host of new possibilities for you. The opportunities are limitless, for both, the young and the old. The brave new world is the vast ocean, waiting for you to step in and rediscover life once again.
Cypher 