Life-Extending Optimism

Yesterday I blogged about the adoption of the new technological developments by Americans. This morning we called my wife’s grandmother who has turned 90 (yes, ninety!) on the Christmas Day. My mother-in-law brought her laptop to “babushka Polina” (by the way, “babushka” has nothing to do with nesting dolls; it’s a proper Russian word for “Granny”), and this was the first time this elderly lady saw a laptop and got to participate in (or should I say, be the main participant of) a video call. I have just received the following picture from my in-laws which speaks better than any words:

90 year old woman enjoying video call

Needless to comment how much she is enjoying the new technology.

She finished the call with words: “Now we’re gonna do this every major holiday!” It’s something that strikes me about our grandparents… They love life, and are generally much more optimistic than many of our peers. Maybe it has to do with the uneasy path that my wife’s and my own grandparents went through (the famine of 1932-1933, World War II, post-war times of rebuilding country and lives, Stalin’s purges, and the Soviet days of the “almighty” KGB, and other difficulties we have no clue about). It is possible that having gone through this much, they are especially capable to enjoy and value what we’ve got now… Either way, we certainly have a lot to learn from them.

1 thought on “Life-Extending Optimism”

  1. Completely agree with you about the elder generation loving life – now in terms of optimism – i agree to disagree there…

    Yep its pretty amazing what technology can do! Had a similar experience when I introduced my Grandma to Skype – she can’t get enough now – and it has become part of her daily routine to use it.

    Technology IS amazing!

    Looking forward to seeing you at the summit Geno!

    Best,

    Interval

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