Are we there yet? vol. 139
In a recent conversation with a friend, we were discussing (complaining) about the amount of time we think young people are wasting on social media. I think almost everyone over the age of 40 worries about Tik Tok and other social media as a time drain and sources of misinformation. The discussion reminded me of a personal story related to this topic that has a different twist to it.
About two years ago, my daughter who was 15 at the time was talking at the dinner table about a discussion in her history class about equality. With my best “Dad knows everything” voice, I explained to her what the concept of equality means. My youngest son who was 11 at the time, interrupted me and said, “Dad, you’re talking about equity not equality, right?” Of course, much to my dismay, he was correct. I didn’t say anything, but my expression said, “how could you possibly know that.” He just stared at me and said “Tik Tok.”
I had a couple of take-aways from this exchange. First, in general, my value is probably not in passing on information which anyone can more easily (and with more accuracy) find on the internet. My value is the experience and wisdom that I can share. Second, there is a lot of good and bad content on social media, so our challenge is to help our children, and those with whom we interact, to distinguish between good and bad, real, and not real. Maybe that is where the wisdom and experience come into play.
Take care and stay safe.
BOOK:
The Maze by Nelson DeMille
In his dazzling #1 bestseller, Plum Island, Nelson DeMille introduced readers to NYPD Homicide Detective John Corey, who we first meet sitting on the back porch of his uncle’s waterfront estate on Long Island, convalescing from wounds incurred in the line of duty. A visit from the local Chief of Police results in the legendary Detective Corey becoming involved in the investigation of the murders of a married couple who were scientists at the top-secret biological research facility on Plum Island.
Fast forward through six more bestselling John Corey novels and The Maze opens with Corey on the same porch, but now in forced retirement from his last job as a Federal Agent with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group. Corey is restless and looking for action, so when his former lover, Detective Beth Penrose, appears with a job offer, Corey must once again make some decisions about his career—and about reuniting with Beth Penrose.
Inspired by and based on the actual and still unsolved Gilgo Beach murders, The Maze takes the reader on a dangerous hunt for an apparent serial killer who has murdered nine—and maybe more—prostitutes and hidden their bodies in the thick undergrowth on a lonely stretch of beach.
As Corey digs deeper into this case, which has made national news, he comes to suspect that the failure of the local police to solve this sensational case may not be a result of their inexperience and incompetence—it may be something else. Something more sinister.