Yup, it happens! Translated…
My mother had always been against high-tech device, she’s more than satisfied with her ancient 2G cell phone. On the MRT, seeing how the rest of the passengers are immersed in the technologies, she’d always stated, “Being with your cell phone all day long, does that guarantee you a happy life?”, she was, apparently, the last standing fortress of human culture, but all of that’s become, past tense.
My father who’s demented had wandered off endless number of times, and gladly, he’d always come home without a scratch. The elderly is very proud, and anything from the ID bracelets, name tags, he wouldn’t wear. At the start of the year, we’d bought him a new cell phone, and downloaded the GPS tracking systems, and, as my father goes out, and takes the cell phone with him, we can all know his whereabouts. My mother’s cell phone got upgraded too, she entered into the search line as well.
As we’d downloaded an assortment of communications app on her cell, the friends’, families’ IDs showed, with the alerts, calling out to my mother. After she started getting acquainted with the functions, she too, became a member of the lowered heads.
One day, I’d found she’d kept her head lowered for a long time, I’d started lecturing her, but mom replied, “Can’t help it, your older cousin went to get her fortunes read, and was told, that although she has three kids, she’s destined to live out the rest of her life alone………I’d needed to, console with her!” she’d become, a counselor too. Turns out, that upgrading her cell, it’d upgraded her role in life too.
A few short days ago, there was a robbery close to home, the news stations were doing live reports, and my mother complained, “How come no one LINED me on it?”, she was actually, feeling left out, in need of attention.
I’d asked if she wanted to silence the alert on her LINE account, that way, she wouldn’t feel hurried by the alerts. But she’d said, no, “It’s not like there’s much going on with my life right now.”
And now, reading the messages on LINE became a part of my mother’s daily schedule, I saw her making noises to her own cell phone, or chatting with friends and families, talking on the phones with my younger sister who works in Hong Kong, or using the webcam to check on her grandson in Hsinchu, this cell phone had already surpassed its original purpose of tracking her, it’d, connected her to her friends and families.
But, I’m still worried about the worsening of my mother’s sights, and I hereby, call out to her, “My mother, think about how you’d lived without the smart phone from before, how wise you were! Don’t become controlled by the alerts!”
So, this, is usually what happens, with the older generations, they’re very resistant to change, but, as we’d introduced the newer technologies to their lives, they’re using it, more than we all are, which showed, how adaptable the elderly population can be, if they want to be.