Marching into Change

“The wave of the future is coming and there is no fighting it.” That was written by Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her book "Gifts from the Sea" published in 1955.

She penned her inspirational meditations and musings during a solo getaway to Captiva Island off the coast of Florida. She contemplated modernization, bemoaning time-saving gadgets that complicated life rather than simplifying it and pondered the escalating busy-ness that diminished family dynamics.

Some changes she was a part of. She shared interest in aviation with her famous husband Charles Lindbergh and claimed her own route to fame in the same industry. In 1930 she received an American glider pilot license, the first woman to do so. She and Charles were the first to fly from Africa to South America. They explored polar air routes between North America and Europe and Asia. During these flights, she worked as radio operator and co-pilot.

The 1950's was a pivotal decade. Competition between America and Russia made the news when Russia declared it would also be working to launch artificial satellites. They beat us to it with Sputnik I in 1957, followed by the US launch of Explorer 1 in 1958.

Coming in second created quite an educational upheaval, at least in St. Louis. I’m a product of modifications initiated during that unofficial ‘race for space,’ a phrase I heard often as science and math moved to the forefront of curriculums.

America did put men on the moon first. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on its surface. The Soviet Union still hasn’t achieved that, though their interest in the moon has gained momentum recently. However, both countries occupy the International Space Station.

Think of the technological marvels we have witnessed since the moon landing. How alarming it is, when something impedes their functioning, that ramifications can be global! Did you know that a tech outage interfered with various companies, banks, hospitals and flights globally on Friday, July 19?

Some services resorted to manual operations. That’s a scary thought when so many behind the counters don’t have much experience with manual living. We are now used to short lines - or avoiding lines - with so many ONLINE options. (Think internet outage in our town. Clerks use calculators or pen/paper to add up sales, then fumble giving change.)

Contrary to my first assumption, the cause wasn’t a cybersecurity issue, at least as determined at the time of this writing. A glitch in an update in Microsoft 365 applications and services is to blame. I get discombobulated with some Facebook and iphone updates. This is so much more disturbing!

Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and philosopher, saw it coming. He lived from 121 to 180 AD. He wrote: “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present. The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine. The future rewards those who press on.”

I’ll try, Marcus, I’ll try.