We watched an episode of the cartoon “The Jetsons” with our kids the other day. It was one of the cartoons that used to show up on “Cartoon Network” growing up. And while I wasn’t a fan then, I’ve definitely watched a few episodes.
Even growing up in the 90s in India, the idea that we might travel in flying cars, have robots to clean our home, machines to cook, have flat-screen televisions, walk on conveyer belts, and talk to people over video (or “Facetime”) felt pretty far into the future. I can only imagine what it felt like when the cartoon first aired in 1962.
Our kids, on the other hand, have grown up with most of this technology. It didn’t blow their minds when they saw Jane Jetson just call her mom over video. They do it nearly every day.
Those 20 minutes were such a great reminder of the gifts we have in our lives. Even a hundred years ago, the technology we have today would have been beyond the realm of science fiction. Touch screen phones with cameras, the ability to talk to humans all around the world via the internet, machines that can play complex games and solve problems, vaccines that can be created by uploading a sequence into a computer – it’s all incredible.
And yet so easy to take for granted.
