Math Notes

We are making our children ADD.

My generation grew up on flashing lights and fast talking characters on a colorful box in our living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms. Finished with homework? Watch your favorite TV show. Washed the dishes? Play a video game. Finished playing outside? Watch a movie! If a show is too boring, grab the remote and change the channel. Are there two shows on that you would like to watch at the same time? Change the channel during commercials and watch them both!

What about computers? Internet programs have evolved so that a person can have as many tabs/pages open at the same time as they want. Teenagers can have multiple conversations on their 3 different instant messengers while playing solitaire, checking their e-mail, and catching up with friends on myspace and facebook.

There are so many things to do, so many things to look at, and our technology has become so advanced that it is now possible to do everthing one needs or desires to do at the same time. It's inevitable that my generation and those after us is becoming more and more ADD. If the TV isn't on, it's too quiet. We can't just sit on a couch or on our porch for more than 30 minutes without becoming bored. This epidemic, this need/desire to always be doing something, always be entertained, has spread to every aspect of our lives. We can't stay focussed in a one hour class because we start thinking about anything and everything other than the class we are in. We have problems going to sleep because our brains have learned to never stop, never rest. In a sense, our minds have become Americanized: always on the go; always consuming (although, not consuming the healthy, worth-while things such as knowledge but rather mindless rubbish which keep us entertained).

Isn't it ironic that I wrote this during my math class?