Missing freedom

Freedom. To walk around where ever, to hang out with whoever, whenever. To breath and exhale with ease. Life feels so restrictive now, in the name of safety of course. Never with ill intent, but never necessarily ill results. With failed attempt after failed attempt, we finally get a hint of freedom.

I’d rather have the neighborhood kids playing outside, loitering and hanging out close by than at who knows house or playing computer games all day. The sounds of different-sized wheels riding down the street, dragging laughter with them.

The irony is two-toned but the premise is still there. Growing up within the confines of the front porch left me wanting more. The chain-link fence that divided my life stood shorter than I but ever more powerful. It was torture. I was left with only an image that filled my head with daydreams of myself running around on the other side.

Things have just changed. If you listen closely, you'll hear the whispers of change. It'll creep into all forms of media, and in almost all discussions until finally one day it won't.

When I would’ve been running around chasing the dogs in laps around the backyard, my younger peers chose to sit at home and watch videos of cats. My older peers on the other hand tell tall tales of running to the kid down the streets house and causing shenanigans all around town. Now we complain that our kids won't get out of the house.

What happened?

People say the world is just as dangerous as before, if not safer.

So then why would we prefer having our young growing minds of today glued to their screens?

Is it a lack of appeal?

Maybe parents of today don’t care what their kids do, but the kids themselves choose the flashier option.

Is it a matter of privilege? Discipline? It sounds silly, but I hope things change.

How does one even notice the change? How long does it take to see the differences in society? When everything could go up or down in the blink of an eye, the impending change sends shivers down the greater population.

Flashes of the glitz and glams of the high life shone through social media, encouraging others to reach for the stars because one day this could all be yours.

For a lack of a better word, things have become a bait and switch operation that has targeted the children of multiple generations. I think the problem, is that the younger generations are revolting. Change is coming. We'll just have to wait and see.

They say this life would never be the same now that we have flying cars. We've fully conquered the skies, and we've nearly finished our oceans, our last frontier is the stars.

Past generations poked and prodded them in the past. The stars continued to twindle in numbers from our skies, so we strived to hold them in the palms of our hands. If only we could've foreseen the chaos it'll bring. Humans are strange that way, a cloud of death and destruction follow us.

Change will come, and it won't be pretty.

The fire burns through your eyelids, seeping in their reds and oranges into your brain. It's mesmerizing sometimes if you just let your mind wander off somewhere else.

Only then will you see the change, and what part you've played. If you shake your head and deny any involvement then the shrouds of pride still blind you. The sands of time come to a close, and you will lay your head to rest, leaving behind your resentment and regrets.