The word “times” is not used all that often anymore. It’s one of those words that really sounds strange, the more you say it to yourself…times, times, times. We use it to denote multiplication, like the times table or 2 times 4 equals 8. There’s that old phrase, “Keeping up with the times.” Way back, I think it had a more “timely” connotation, like being modern and up-to-date. We still see great newspapers that imply being current, like the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, etc. Locally, there’s still the Times Supermarket; which I guess, meant that it was a modern supermarket, part of a new trend replacing the old Mom and Pop grocery stores. As a kid, playing “Chase Master”, we’d yell out “times!” when we were tired or winded, to indicate a time-out. But, as usual, I digress – since I actually wanted to discuss the changing times and how I have come to realize that I’m getting older and seem to be a bit behind the times.

Time is a personal thing, time is a relative thing. It means different things to people at different times in their lives. When we talk about it, we all take for granted that we’re talking and experiencing the same phenomenon of time…but I think that is far from true.

In one online dictionary, there are actually about 29 different entries on the definition of time. My favorite is the first one: “A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.” Hmmm…After reading that one, do you really feel that you have a better grasp about what “time” is? So, rather than have an existential discussion on the meaning of time, let’s just say that we all picture time in different ways: for some, it’s the moving second hand on the clock, or the wall calendar with the months/weeks/days neatly arrayed for the year, others envision a constantly changing digital display.

Personally, I always see a kind of huge circular arrangement of the months going round and round in an endless spiral. On ocassion, I’ve compared the passage of time and seasons in life to standing in that zig-zag line at Disneyland, waiting for a very popular ride. Ahead of you and behind of you in line, are the same folks that you always seem to see in life (your friends, family, co-workers, etc). Yet, to the left and right, are a variety of folks in line that you seem to run into periodically – in the zig-zag line. Some are way ahead of you, some are way behind you. And you kind of forget about them until you pass them going in the opposite direction. It’s kind of strange, and yet…life is like that.

Usually, I feel like a pretty young, relevant guy, much the same way I felt when I first reached adulthood some 40 years ago. I feel kind of hep and believe that I can relate with the younger adults and kids and keep up with the times. But there are actually many signs that I really do belong to a different generation. I’ve made the following observations about my son’s generation (those “kids” in their mid-thirties):

-They usually no longer have sideburns like me.
-They never used Pomade or Tres Flores or Seventeen or Brilliantine or Brylcreme on their hair.
-They don’t have a mustache like me.
-Many wear contacts instead of glasses like me – yet they all wear expensive sunglasses, unlike me.
-They don’t wear wristwatches – but use their cell phones to tell time as well as access the internet and photograph/video memorable scenes.
-They don’t carry their cell phones on the belt pouch, but in their pockets.
-They use backpacks for everything, even for their office paperwork.
-They wear shoes like Sketchers instead of the ol’ Florsheims or Rockports.
-They never read the “classic” elementary books like “The Five Chinese Brothers”.
-In school, they never saw the nature films that showed millions of lemmings falling off the cliffs into the sea and drowning there (ask them!)
-They never drank from little milk cartons with the serrated circle for the straw.
-They never ate cereal from the little box with the serrated “H” so you could pour the milk in.
-They never received glass bottles of milk – or even heard of home deliveries.
-They don’t remember white-wall tires or bucket seats being big selling points for cars.
-They don’t remember cars with the rotating knob on the wheel to help with turning (no power steering then). Or the little triangular window on the driver’s side that you could open independently to flick ashes (yes, grandma and grandpa actually smoked in the car! And in bed!) – it also directed cool rushing air into the car as we moved along the road, since our cars had no A/C back then. But we did have that metal foot-long spring on the exterior of the back right side of the car, meant to aid with parallel parking.
-They don’t recall a time without mandatory car seats for kids (my son’s late pediatrician actually was instrumental in getting the law passed for Hawaii)…my normal place in the car was standing on the “hump” in the back or sometimes sitting on Dad’s lap and helping him drive.
-They all seem to be whizzes at video games, which for me, are purely a spectator sport.
-They can’t imagine TV without a remote – which wasn’t a problem for me since we only had three TV stations to turn to.
-They take forever to graduate from college while we took 4 (yes, I took 5 years for the bachelor’s, but that included several years of AFROTC courses) .
-Guys my age seem to have a mental block with computers and spreadsheets, utilizing only the most basic applications.
-They go jogging regularly (my generation “invented” jogging) with their babies in special 3-wheel babycarts or with their dogs – and special “poopscoopers” and bags. Back in the 50’s, no one carried poop bags…actually, we never walked our poor dog.
-In the car, I listen to 99.5, The Jewel, because the songs are from the 1950’s-1970’s and I actually know the words to all of them…I also seem to have lost the ability to pick up the words to new songs that were released after I hit 30.
-I like to watch old black and white movies, they hate it – fortunately, the AMC channel was created for folks like me.
-Growing up, I don’t remember big one-year birthday parties when we were kids or guests placing paper money into brides’ mouths during the wedding dance.
-They think coffee means spending three bucks for a regular cup of joe at Starbucks…it used to mean I had to heat up water in a pot (no microwave then) and add a teaspoon of Folgers instant coffee, sugar (no Equal/Sweet N’ Low then), and real milk (no non-dairy creamer then) for my mom.
-I use email everyday, but have no idea as to what My Space, Facebook or Twitter really are, or how these differ from email.
-They’re well familiar with the terms autistism, dementia, or Alzheimers. I never even heard of the word “cholesterol” until I was 30 – but we knew about tuberculosis. We knew not to play in the rain puddles or risk catching polio (until we all took the Salk sugar cubes). And we carry the Smallpox vaccination scar on our shoulders that they never heard about.

Being the “behind the times” guy I am in this fast-changing world, I only just discovered Google Earth recently. I was trying to look at the old neighborhood in Kapahulu where I spent my “hanabata days” growing up. I found the address and started zooming in on the Google map, when suddenly, the “street view” option opened up, and I found myself “standing on the street”, looking at a two-story apartment that apparently replaced the old plantation style home we used to rent. I had no idea that I’d be able to see a current street view of my old neighborhood. It was an amazing thing and I realized that I could “stroll” to anywhere (assuming Google had the street view loaded for the place). Truly a sign of the times – and my age.

Just so you don’t think I’d write an entire note, bereft of any mention of karate, I was then inspired to check out our training spot at the Momilani Rec Center. Being the kind of optimist I am, I thought I might be able to actually catch a view of our karate ministry training there. Wouldn’t that be awesome! It would be a fitting testament to the changing times of our modern world with a twist of traditional karate. So I trained my view down, down, down to the street view for the Rec Center. I focused on the familiar open pavillion and found it. I was close enough to see people in the pavillion! And what do you think I found? I could actually see a group of folks in the Rec Center, and they were doing………..Summer Fun!, or possibly preparing for one of the parties to be held…or perhaps even preparing for the Halloween Bash ; )

Have a safe October 31st….Blessings, Wes