Grandma Stroh's Timeline

One of the things that amazes me about my grandmother's life is how much the world changed. She was born in 1910. William Taft was the president and the Model T was extremely popular. In 1912 the Titanic sank. She saw two world wars as well as the Vietnam "conflict." Women got the right to vote, burned their bras, and joined the workforce.

And then Al Gore "invented the Internet." Everything about how we research and find information changed irrevocably. Part of the reason my grandmother was the only one that sent me letters in college is because the rest of my friends and family were e-mailing me. I wonder what Grandma would say about the concept of an electronic journal that's out there for everyone to read.

I'm sure every generation says this, but I just can't imagine my life being nearly as eventful, even if I live to nearly 96. Grandma went from the dawn of motorized vehicles to the age of air travel and space ships. How can I compete with that?

It feels like progress is now measured in much smaller or less tangible increments. An Internet connection that is nanoseconds faster. A computer that holds 10GB of memory instead of 5GB.

My greatest hope is probably that, during my lifetime, I can see significant social progress. The mininum wage raised to a decent level. More fiscal responsibility from big business and government for environmental damage. Raised awareness of and caring for the underprivileged in America. Lower student loan rates, so graduates aren't forced to start their adult lives already deep in debt.

I hope my life isn't measured by the wars and conflicts that were fought, but by progress and innovation. Is that too much to hope for?