I HAVE always preferred a motorised car wash rather than cleaning my vehicle at home.
A mundane piece of equipment that still had the power to shock my late lamented Auntie Doris.
Her life spanned progress. She grew up going to school as a half-timer which was normal in the early 1900s. She went mornings until she was 12 and in the afternoon she sold yeast door-to-door. Folk back then relied on the horse-drawn omnibus, tram, train or Shanks’ Pony.
The car wash was a new and unexpected experience. She was in the back of the car and, after an initial panic, she was astounded. Particularly when the brushes attacked the sides and the roof like a horror film. It was better than a Pleasure Beach ride. When it finished she wanted to do it again. This was fun. This was better than cleaning.
As I washed the car the other day I realised Auntie Doris hadn’t noticed the tsunami of new technology and discovery that had overtaken her life.
Many of us have noticed the changes but we don’t understand the half of them. We take for granted computers, jet travel, mobile phones, 3D television, two-car families.
These are now everyday facets of life whose prediction 50 years ago would have been viewed with a jaundiced eye.
Where will progress stop? Technological advancement will continue to sweep forward at an ever increasing speed which makes me wonder what life will be like in another 50 years time?
Will we be as astounded as Auntie Doris in a car wash?