As Technology Pulls the World Forward, a Generation is Left Behind…

Jostled by customers rushing to get back to their work grind, an elderly couple waited patiently in line-- watching timidly, analyzing the order and pick-up process. In the fray of Panera’s lunchtime crowd, I overheard Betty tell her husband she couldn’t find the straws. Looking anxious and lost, he began wringing his hands. Betty gave up on the straws and led her husband to a table. After she left to retrieve their food, he began turning their cups of lemonade in circles- perplexed by a plastic cup with a lid… and no straw. He poked his finger in the top, paused and looked at my cup. In what was an agonizing minute for me, he finally lifted the lid and took a sip. Across the restaurant, I noticed Betty scanning the room… seemingly still looking for straws.

Every day the world advances. We move faster and expect technology to continue to make life easier, better and more efficient. But this isn’t the case for everyone. As technology pulls the world forward, it's leaving an entire generation behind: the elderly. Their quality of life isn't progressing at the same pace as that of the rest of us. In fact, one might argue that the more tech progresses, the more the elderly fall behind- generating an isolation they neither saw coming nor know how to handle.

The rest of the story? I’ll recount in the next post. For now, let me know: If you were a bystander, how you would have handled the situation?

A) Tell them where to find the straws; B) Get the straws for them or, C) Ignore them— bcs, damn, it’s not rocket science and time is money.