Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Immortality

If you are younger than 25...this image may be nothing more to you than a road map of intersecting lines with letters here and there.

For those of us 26 or so and older...the image may hearken back to that day in our youth when we sought immortality...leaving our calling card so others may see when they pass by. Looking no further than "today"...the most important thing for "JB" to do was to set his initials permanently...perhaps later to come back and add his girl's initials...locking them together for all time. It is becoming more and more rare to see a heart carved in a tree with two sets of initials. The last time I left my initials was in 1970 on a bar one night in Old Amsterdam...a story for another time. I have often wondered if they are still there.

Generation Y's and children of the millennium still do this but not with a knife...they use Facebook. It is like Vegas...whatever is put on Facebook...stays on Facebook for time in memorial. Even deleted from Facebook...that image of you and your fraternity brothers or sisters drunk on the floor floats the internet just waiting for someone like an employer to Google your name. I just read that up to 40 % of employers have "not" hired a person due to images or postings on the social networking sites. So they achieve immortality just we we did with a knife into a tree...they just use a different tool.


Dan

8 comments:

Heather said...

Smart post, Dan; a good one for many to remember.

shabby girl said...

I found the photo very touching, full of feelings. Many of them!
Great post!

septembermom said...

The carving on the tree is a much safer choice. Great post Dan.

Dan Felstead said...

Thanks Heather...It is becoming common place now for employers to "Google" a name before making the final decision to hire and individual. Too much intrusion into our privacy rights???

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Shabbygirl...yes, there is probably a story behind each carved initial.

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Septembermom...I agree!

Dan

Sunny said...

I used to have an old antique desk that had the name Ivan carved into the top. In fact we called it the Ivan desk and I always wondered who he was.
I think the employer/Google situation is way too intrusive. I knew I should have never posted those pictures with the lampshade on my head! Ha-ha!
Sunny :)

Dan Felstead said...

Sunny...I would worry more about posts like goats swimming in their own private pools if you know what I mean!

Dan