Remember the Jetsons cartoon show? You might recall their sleek modern world of shiny towers and advanced technology. The Jetsons seldom walked; they rode on moving walkways. They travelled in air-borne hover cars, called people on interactive video phones, used electric toothbrushes, robots and push-button devices. Nobody on the Jetsons show ever exerted themselves physically, nor did they spend time in nature.
Have we have become the Jetsons? You could make a compelling case that we have. We now possess cell phones, flat screen TVs, push-button appliances of many kinds, interactive devices upon which we make requests of robots with names like “Siri” and “Alexa.” We travel on moving walkways at airports and at some public places. We even have hoverboards and Segways to reduce walking.
Recently I was birding at Juanita Bay Park on the shore of Lake Washington. It features board walks that allow visitors to reach the lake front and several marshes on their edges. On this particular mid-February day, I saw 30 species in an hour, including seven Trumpeter Swans. What an inspiring combination of birds, lake views, sunshine and fresh air!
On one of the board walk segments, I had just been looking through my scope at Wood Ducks and Green-winged Teal, their brilliant colors illuminated by sunlight, when I turned around to face a young girl riding a two-wheeled electronic hoverboard. Her parents apologized, realizing that this was not the best place for such a device, and we all moved on.
The experience struck me as odd and inappropriate. Why was this young girl, 7-10 years in age, not walking? I knew she could because I saw her taking turns with her brother on the hoverboard while the other walked. Meanwhile here I was, a guy in his mid-60s, walking two miles with arthritic knees. What’s wrong with this picture?
Later, the young hoverboard rider passed me again. I called her over to show her the Trumpeter Swans elegantly preening in the sunshine along the lake shore. She rode over, took a look, smiled slightly and rode off.
We need a different vision than the one the Jetsons offered: one where the people are active, healthy, and more relaxed because they spend time in nature. And one which allows nature to exist. It’s time to jettison the Jetson“vision.”
