Just Take It With You

To kick off class this morning, Deb went around the room and had each of us do the typical, name, place, bio, etc., but she also asked us to answer the question “In your opinion, what is the best invention?” I said e-mail :) but I noticed something interesting as we went around the room – nearly every person answered the question with an item that allows for greater portability. Some of the best inventions that were mentioned – the iphone, the laptop computer, the portable coffee mug, drive through restaurants…

Looking back 20, 15, even 10 years ago, the kind of portability we have today was something that was only imagined; strived for. What is it about being constantly ‘on the go’ that electrifies the American population?

I have a friend who studied in Greece and she noted the biggest thing that differentiates the Greek from the American population is how slow-paced it is. Dinners would last 4 hours. Classes were few and far between and homework was less strenuous. The Greeks did not try to pack 10 different activities into the time it would take to complete one. In class, when we were discussing the portable coffee cup, someone pointed out that European cars don’t even have cup holders! So why do we try to pack as much as we can and do as many things as possible into as little time as possible, always on the go? And with the creation of the iphone and other advanced portable technologies, where is our society headed down the road? Let me know your thoughts.