Alternate Take

Life used to be so simple. When I tell my students this they give me that “Here we go” look. Grandpa wants to tell us about the Good Ol’ Days when everything was better. Not better, just different. I want to make a distinction between comparison and judgment. But to be honest, I do miss many things of the simple life.

Life has become complicated. Technology has brought us many wonders and conveniences. But along with speed comes impatience, with tools comes maintenance.
There are two sides to each development. You gain here, you lose there. There is a price to pay. It all boils down to whether the payoff is worth it.

Case in point: Let’s look at how many bills I had to pay each month in 1975 compared to today. I had rent, utilities (3), and phone. That’s it. My car was purchased in cash and no insurance was required. Credit was a new idea, so barely anyone had a credit card bill. That’s five . Today, I have those five plus two credit cards, car insurance, rental insurance, Internet provider, Web site domain, cell phone and medical insurance. By my count, that’s thirteen. That’s well over twice the amount of 1975. I’m deliberately avoiding expenditures that result from having families or owning property. We’re talkin’ a single guy with very low overhead and no dependents. What’s alarming is that compared to most folks, my number of payments is but a paltry few. I would wager that most Americans have an average of twenty monthly bills.

Another issue is time constraints. With every new tool comes maintenance. Due to new technology, I am compelled to spend way more time than I would like at the computer. Don’t get me wrong. Even though I entered the digital world kicking and screaming, I really love my computer and the access it provides. However, that double-edged sword demands that I pay for it with precious hours answering email, checking my Myspace page and the latest Kenny G blogs . In addition, much of the new software available involves tedious learning curves and even more time. Learning-YUK! The bottom
line is that these tasks and many others that have evolved in the last thirty years cut into my practice and nap time.

So far, one could justify the inconveniences of our new found conveniences. However, with each advancement
comes higher expectations. If you want to conduct business , you have to keep pace with everyone else. This is not a new concept. The issue is that tasks don’t get replaced, they just pile up. The answering machine is now paired with email, websites, Myspace, text messages and on and on. When I would go gig hunting in 1975, all I needed was a business card, a demo tape and my irresistible charm. Now I must be armed with a demo CD, email mailing list, Web site, business card, a Myspace page and the charm. Cell phones are certainly handy when you need one, but most people use them indiscriminately and they can be intrusive to the owners and everyone around them.

Peoples’ impatience grow with each innovation. I’m as guilty as the next person. I remember getting frustrated with anyone who didn’t have an answering machine. That seems like eons ago. I want it and we want it now. I recall being delighted when I switched from dial-up to DSL and wondering how I could have possibly lived without it before. Speed is a valuable commodity and once you have it you never look back. It’s very seductive. And therein lies the trap. You can’t stop progress anymore than you can stop time.

But are we content to live in the fast lane forever? I think it depends on your perspective. Those of us who are old enough to remember more placid days see the world differently than the youth of today. Many have no idea what it’s like to have space or silence, to actually enjoy being able to stop the world and smell the proverbial flowers. Call it an inner peace or serenity. I’m finding that defending my space (pun) against the ever increasing pace of the world increasingly difficult. Am I willing to give up the digital allures that science has produced? That’s a tough one. I think not. Once you go back, you are immediately choking on the dust of those with whom you compete and you’ve lost all hope of making a living.

Now, I haven’t the time or space to address similar issues like the population explosion, traffic congestion, noise pollution, etc. It’s all part of the same phenomenon- more, faster, louder. We live in a world that never looks back and is constantly seeking an edge. It’s money driven, which is also nothing new. Yet, it seems that life gets ever more compressed and complicated and there is no end in sight.

But then, we said the same thing thirty years ago. Did the world pace demand that technology respond, or did science create the acceleration of living? Does it matter?

I do miss the simple life, but I have no intention of rolling over and playing dead. The life of a musician today is exciting and full of promise and vitality. The challenge is keeping your peace of mind while keeping up.

—Stanton Kessler