In a time where technology is always updating and everyone is patting us on the back, there really doesn't seem to be a reason to look back in time. People say everything that's old is "outdated". What does that mean? Is there a criterion that they've thought of or is it just now new anymore? One friend of mine said that history was useless to us up until about 1800. Despite our country beginning in 1776, I think this is an attitude most people have about the world. They're so wrapped up in updates that they don't see what's so great about the past or how it could help us.
I think modern technology has to have fewer updates, especially cell phones. If you don't have an iPhone 6 by now, you're carrying a dinosaur in your pocket. That is obviously silly because the other phones still work and are useful. This need to be new is the only criterion these people have for saying whether something is worth it or not. If you want to be practical, then your phone should be useful as long as you can use it. That's it. It's not rocket science. But I'm sure that will be coming with the new phone as an app.
I'm a history buff and the term "outdated" seems to be why people say history repeats itself. History is how we learn from our mistakes. We look back and see what had happened and try to fix the problems we face with the knowledge of the past. We try to pass on our knowledge of the world to our children but if they don't listen or look to the past for guidance, who know where they'll end up? Don't they think learning about what led to the War of Independence is important? Don't they wonder what kind of culture created the laws and values of the Founding Fathers? Aren't they curious about the origins of human invention? Maybe not, maybe they just want to move on to the next thing.
The real problem I have with this "outdated" phrase is there is no reason behind it. They say it's outdated because they think it can't be used or it simply is older than two years. They completely shut themselves off from old information that is useful or could easily be useful but they don't even think twice.
Ultimately, my point is that we live in the information age. We have so much happening around us but we don't sift through the good or the bad; we just take what's the most recent. Is that a good enough reason? I don't think old things or old traditions are bad because they're old. I think we should look at history, tradition, and technology and weigh their value first because their age doesn't matter if they still have value.
