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14 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday December 29, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com New Year's resolutions should spark positive change By Farrah Richardson GRADE 12, HOLY TRINITY I turned on the television the other night; CNN was broadcasting updated news on the War in Iraq. More killings and suicide bombings, the possibility of the war finally being called a Civil War and another year until U.S. troops are able to leave and return home. As I scanned through the other channels, Toronto news declares more violence and shootings in urban areas, while reports about fluctuating gas prices seem endless. As my older sister interviews my dad for an essay she is writing about the differences between generations and how the world is changing, it dawns on me how negatively the evolution of the world is becoming. It is undeniable how greatly technology impacts every aspect of our day. I e-mail my teacher an assignment for him to critique; use my cell phone to call my work to say I'll be running a few minutes late; I'll text message my sister to come pick me up from a friend's house or swipe my debit card when buying my mother's Christmas present. I often think about how simple life would be if I lived in the 1950s. How teenagers and children would be playing outside, riding bikes or eating a burger at the local diner. How families would actually be having intelligent conversations with one another and not just yelling and bickering. Nowadays there are so many things to be concerned about, obesity and the predominant rise in A.D.D. and A.D.H.D in young children, drug consuming teenagers and high school dropouts, students in college and university in mounds of student loan debts and one in three adult marriages ending in divorce. This is the type of world I am moving into. A global world where countries bomb and take the lives of innocent civilians, justifying that they are only doing so for the good of their people, a society focused solely with image and the need for excess, a society where a college or university degree results in an average paying job when two incomes are necessary just to pay a mortgage and taxes and a place where global warming is eating away at our mother earth faster than scientists and environmentalists ever imagined. The world is truly becoming a scary place. This evolving world, though positive because every task is now easier, faster and more convenient, is negative because we are too busy to say hello. It makes the thought of my generation entering this type of world, discouraging. It is important that as a global society, we look at one another and see the impact of every move, every step we take forward. How can we leave the next generation living in a hostile world? From new inventions comes change, but it is up to us to make that change positive rather than negative. Reading | Writing | Math | Spelling | Grammar | French | Study Skills INSIDE EVERY CHILD IS A SUCCESSFUL STUDENT. For every age, for every need, Oxford Learning has a program to help your child succeed! Pre-K to Grade 12 Better Grades Confidence & Motivation Diagnostic Assessments Individualized Programs Regular Parent Reports Enrichment Programs Homework Support Sibling Discounts Organization Tips A better future for your child starts here! Contact us today for more information. www.oxfordlearning.com Voted Best Learning Centre 1131 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville (905) 469-1929 380 Dundas St. E. Oakville (905) 257-1207 Maple Grove Village 511 Maple Grove Dr. Suite 2, Oakville (905) 849-4027