Paradox Times – A Ninety Year Old Agrees

My mother was born in 1918 and turned ninety in June. She commented recently on how values have changed – so I interviewed her.

That article is not complete but an email I received from Europe today – amazingly – says pretty much what she had to say:

Paradox Of Our Times

Today we have bigger houses but smaller families, more amenities but less time..

We have a higher education level and more knowledge but less commonsense and competence to judge..

We have more experts but more problems. More medicine but less health.

We seem unconcerned; laugh too little; get angry too quickly; read too little; watch too much TV and are less considerate.

We multiplied our properties and estates but we reduced our values and morals. We talk too much, love too little and lie too often.

We learned how to make a living but not how to live. We have years to live but can’t add years to life.

We spend more but have less. We buy more but enjoy it less.
We went all the way to the moon yet we can’t cross the road to meet our neighbours.
We can split atoms but we can’t break down our prejudices.

We write more, learn less, plan more but finish less.
We have learned to rush but not to wait.
We have higher income but lower morale.

More spare time but less fun
More kinds of food but less good nutrition
Two incomes but more divorce
Nicer houses but broken homes.

I suggest we don’t ‘save’ anything for special occasions.
Look for realisation, read more. Sit and enjoy the view.
Spend more time with your family and friends, eat your favourite food and visit the places you love.

Life is about moments of joy, not moments of survival.
Drink from your finest crystal and eat from your good china, don’t save up your best perfume or cologne, instead use it every day.

Erase expressions like ‘later’, ‘some other time’ and ‘not now’ from your vocabulary.
Tell your family and friends how much you love them. Don’t hesitate to allow the laughter and joy into your life. Realise that every day, every hour and every minute is unique.

If you’re too busy to send this to someone you like and care about, just tell yourself you’ll send it ‘later’.

I guarantee you won’t send it ‘later’.

Will YOU forward Paradox Times to someone you care about?

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