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When did this all start? When the bottle of ink was replaced by cartridges? Perhaps when we rapidly ‘progressed’ to disposable biros? Was it when fruit, with their own natural coating, had a plasticised layer shrink-wrapped around its skin?
Was it when natural abrasive powders such as bicarbonate or charcoal were swapped out for plastic microbeads or when our water supply became so toxic with chlorine, prescription meds, pesticides, and heavy metals that we had to resort to bottled spring water?
It’s hard to pinpoint when our lives lurched from relative harmony with our surroundings to unequivocal disharmony. Mankind throughout the ages has taken all new developments to the limits, often without giving a thought to the repercussions.
A simpler time.
Our children cannot remember a time before the Internet, or when there were only three channels on the television. They grew up in a world of synthesised and sanitised experiences, a simulation of what life ought to be. Staged photographs to garner more likes and follows from computer bots and fake accounts. Why bother learning how to balance on a real bicycle or feel the pain of scraped knees, when you can have unlimited chances to teach an avatar on the Playstation how to navigate off-road?