"The Veldt" vs. "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon"

"The Veldt" is a VERY disturbing story. It involves the idea that visions created by technology are actually reality. At first, when Lydia Hadley got so upset about the lions running towards her husband and her, I felt that the nursery was just a vision put on by the technology of the room, and I didn't think the lions could actually hurt her. But when I discovered that the children used the room to actually kill their parents, I realized that the room was REAL. While reading the story, I was reminded constantly of an idea already set in my mind: technology has destroyed the intimacy and quality of relationships, particularly those between children and their parents. This is so ludicrous. People ought not be so consumed in technology that they forget about those things that ACTUALLY matter: God, family, friends. Kids these days are so into texting and video games and computers and social networking that they neglect their parents. Some parents allow their kids to do this because they want their kids to be happy and don't want their kids to hate them, as shown in "The Veldt". Other parents try to force their kids to be involved in family activities rather than do other things and thus, their kids hate them. It is not the parents fault that this is occurring in society. It is technology's fault, and those who engage in it.

"The Veldt" reminded me of the story "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon." This is because in that story, a man has his emotions dictated by a ship, a machine. This is very similar to the children in "The Veldt" having THEIR emotions dictated by the nursery. They are so attached to the nursery that they forget what is reality. They forget that their parents are the ones who even bought it for them in the first place, not so the children can kill them with it, but so they can have some peace of mind and imagination. This is like the man in "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon" because he does not know which scenarios are false and which one is real. This is the ongoing problem in society today. People are too addicted to technology because it makes life so much easier and more convenient. For example, when George Hadley told his kids that they were going on a month-long vacation, they freaked out. They asked questions such as, "Who will tie our shoes?" or, "Who will brush my teeth and bathe me?" That is just absurd. If kids can't do stuff like that, what CAN they do?

Sometimes I wonder if people from 100 years ago would feel the same way about society as I feel as stated above. Do they think we are weak and too into technology and have lost actual substance in our lives. If I were them, I probably would feel that way. We have come so far because of technology, but we have also taken steps back. Pros include not having to work so hard on academic tasks or not having to talk to people in person. Cons include not having to work so hard on academic tasks and not having to talk to people in person. As mentioned in previous blogs, many people these days just sit behind a computer and "socialize" through the computer, but when it comes time to actual talk to a REAL person, they are all quiet and nervous. This is the problem with the spread of technology. It diminishes us as a human race. Everything is so fast-paced now with improvements in technology and very few actually stop to enjoy nature or spiritual matters. "The Veldt" perfectly exemplifies how I feel about technology. It takes over people's lives, especially those of whom are most important: children, the future of our society.