Tuesday, February 24, 2004

New toy
I got a new toy for my birthday, and I am already drooling over extensions to it, to make it more versatile.

To me items that enhance my performance, and help me do more than I can from nature, are fun. To my ageing mother, they are a declaration of defeat. Where I am already imagining a gps- and computer-supported walking aid for when I start to get a little confused about where I am, where I came from and where I am going, she chooses not to walk, if she needs to lean on something to do it. This is not just common contrariness, but a cultural divide between her generation and ours. The tools are so alien, depending on them means giving up your integrity and sacrificing your pride, rather than making life easier.

I am really not sure who is wrong here. It is quite likely that she is as happy with her voluntary limits as I will ever be with my voluntary dependence. We will have to choose for ourselves.

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