Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Give It Up!

As a person who has been around for quite a while, I see all the sacrifices one must make to exist in this modern world. We sacrifice our freedom of movement and privacy to reduce the threat of violence. We consume food filled with unknown chemicals and processed to tastelessness. I wonder how many people know that a Hershey has so little real chocolate in it they can't legally call it a chocolate bar.

We are amazed how we survived without seatbelts in the car or helmets as we rode our bikes. We kids were allowed to go out and play with the only stipulation to be home by dinner. We walked to school and back home after, also to the movies on Saturday with no fear of being kidnapped. It astonishes me that when I drive down a suburban street I hardly ever see children out playing because their parents are afraid to leave them alone even in their own front yard.

It is true that the modern world has conveniences that I couldn't have even dreamed of as a lad. TVs with hundreds of channels, DVRs and video games played in your own front room were beyond the comprehension of a boy who grew up when I did. Home computers with internet access put the world both good and bad at a boy's fingertips. In those days when a pal moved away, he was gone from your life but now things like instant messaging and websites like Facebook you can stay in contact. If the choice were mine to make I would gladly sacrifice all this technology and more for the chance of my children growing as I did.

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