I just need to express my severe disappointment in the situation many of today?s young people are in. First off, let me just say that I?m still a youngster myself (mid 20?s).

I have an 18 yr old sister in law who, to me, is about as dumb as a box of rocks. Don?t misunderstand, she could be smart, she certainly has the capacity to retain information and use it wisely. The problem with her (and, in my eyes) many of today?s kids is that they live in a society of laziness. They don?t have to use it, so why retain and learn it? If you never had to use your fly fishing knowledge you would loose it too. We have become so technologically advanced that kids don?t have to do learn to do anything for themselves because their computer will do it for them. If the computer doesn?t, then their cell phone will!

I realize that I may sound like an old codger here, but rest assured that I didn?t walk uphill in the snow, both ways to and from school with no shoes on. I did, however, spend a lot of time walking up hills in the mountains and playing in the big field behind our house. I didn?t go to a one-room school house, but I had to learn to read and write from books, not computers. The first computers in my grade school had green and black screens and played only one game: Oregon Trail. Maybe I didn?t have to use 2 cans and some string as a telephone, but I had never even seen a cell phone until I was in high school and it was as big as a football. And, (oh my gosh I know!) there was no such thing as IM, PM, TTY, BTW, IMO, IMHO, URL, PDF, OMG, FWIW, TTYL, or any of that CRAP! (Sorry, I only know few). We actually had to learn how to spell and write things out. My sister in law, mentioned above, literally talks and writes this way. During my senior year of high school and throughout a lot of my college writing classes teachers have had to explain (I am not joking) that these acronyms are not an accepted method of communication for student papers!!

They don?t have to learn grammar and how to verbally communicate properly, because they can just send a text message with a bunch of garbage and letters thrown around. They don't need it, so why retain it? These kids are monsters that we have created because we are too smart for our own good. The things that we have strived to achieve technologically are the very things that contribute to what some have labeled the ?Dumbing of America.? We are breeders of laziness and mental atrophy and farmers of irresponsibility in our young people. The irresponsibility is a slightly different tangent but is certainly connected.

I realize that this rant is only made possible through these technological advances, but I?m pretty sure that God created marijuana for a better reason than getting people high too. (For those of you who texted your way through your English classes, this is an example of a metaphor.) I would be interested in hearing your responses to this claim. Please understand that, bottom line, I am not against technology but I am against the application of that technology in many instances, particularly in hindering young minds and backs. Sorry for the long post, but I do feel a little bit better now.