"She can't stop the thought that children born now will be the last generation of humans. Her sons have known only luck so far, though suffering will surely come for them. She feels it nearing, the midnight of humanity, Their world is so fully of beauty, the last terrible flash of beauty before the long darkness." - Lauren Groff, "Florida"
Maybe not beauty, but certainly amusements.
Theme parks, video games, ice cream cones in winter, bouncy castles; Thomas the Tank trains, Legos and other endless toys; soccer and baseball and basketball and golf and tennis and shoes for each sport. School with friends and fun. Music, saxophones and funny hats to wear in Jazz Band performances. Swimming in summer and skiing in winter, and chicken nuggets with ten kinds of sauces after each.
Kids' days until these days.
Until these days how much could it continue, really? Endless pleasure, not much pain. The complete inverse to grandparents' kids' days in WWII, rations, and worries.
Even in these days, so far, the pain has been minimal. Loads to eat and with XBox and iPhone by their side maybe it's been more pleasurable for them than we realize.
I know kids around the world might never have had the abundance of these materialist blessings, and yes, I am speaking from the comfort of my air-conditioned privilege (that's a judgment by the way and I'm noticing how these judgments become internalized and censor us. Or at least try to).
But I am speaking about a world I see, the U.S.A. It's a world I know and there's no point in these days talking about worlds you don't know.
This photo was taken at Universal Studios only 15 months ago when I went there with my son and another mom and her son, and it seemed like the roller-coasters would never end and the ice cream sundaes would stay fluffy in the hot Florida sun forever.
Maybe not beauty, but certainly amusements.
Theme parks, video games, ice cream cones in winter, bouncy castles; Thomas the Tank trains, Legos and other endless toys; soccer and baseball and basketball and golf and tennis and shoes for each sport. School with friends and fun. Music, saxophones and funny hats to wear in Jazz Band performances. Swimming in summer and skiing in winter, and chicken nuggets with ten kinds of sauces after each.
Kids' days until these days.
Until these days how much could it continue, really? Endless pleasure, not much pain. The complete inverse to grandparents' kids' days in WWII, rations, and worries.
Even in these days, so far, the pain has been minimal. Loads to eat and with XBox and iPhone by their side maybe it's been more pleasurable for them than we realize.
I know kids around the world might never have had the abundance of these materialist blessings, and yes, I am speaking from the comfort of my air-conditioned privilege (that's a judgment by the way and I'm noticing how these judgments become internalized and censor us. Or at least try to).
But I am speaking about a world I see, the U.S.A. It's a world I know and there's no point in these days talking about worlds you don't know.
This photo was taken at Universal Studios only 15 months ago when I went there with my son and another mom and her son, and it seemed like the roller-coasters would never end and the ice cream sundaes would stay fluffy in the hot Florida sun forever.
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