28-05-2025
"I Was Bullied Horrifically For It": Older Adults Are Sharing Specific Things Today That Are 100% Better Than The Past
It's common for older people to wax nostalgic about the good ol' days. However, redditor @EnvironmentalZone189 recently asked, "What's one part of modern life you actually prefer over how it used to be?" The responses were thoughtful, illuminating, and a true reminder that everyday aspects of life are constantly evolving. Here are 17 responses that really stood out:
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
1."Not waiting 6-8 weeks for delivery."
—scotty813
"Our usual Amazon distribution center is close enough that, if I order something early enough in the day, it will be there the next day. I am so spoiled by them and Chewy."
—SemiOldCRPGs
2."Automatic bill pay: I can remember taking my stack of bills on the subway as I went to work and writing checks."
—moverene1914
"I can remember, as a housewife, spending one day each fortnight on payday driving from one business to another to pay our bills in person with toddlers and a baby in the car!"
—KismetMeetsKarma
3."Internet booking for international hotels: not that long ago, you had to write airmail letters and include paid international postage and wait for them to write back to you!"
—CatCafffffe
4."Free long-distance calling: In college, everyone called home on Sunday because it was cheaper. Even a call to a neighboring town was a toll call, and you'd get in trouble with Dad if you called a friend in a different town."
—CraftFamiliar5243
5."I love EZ PASS and cordless tools."
—PissedWidower
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6."Cell phones: I think about cell phones all the time when I'm at a big event, like a concert or convention. Or even just when I'm shopping with someone, and we wander off to separate parts of the store. It's so easy to text and ask, 'Where are you?'"
—Imaginary-List-4945
7."Being able to set your home heater to multiple settings."
—Theoldelf
8."Online bookings: The ability to book appointments and reservations online. I like being able to take my time looking at all the available options, scheduling what works for me, and paying online, which usually makes things run more smoothly and quickly at check-ins and check-outs."
—common_grounder
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9."Microwaves: The microwave for cooking, and defrosting, and reheating. In the '60s and '70s, if you didn't get home from playing on time, your supper was cold."
—Kingsolomanhere
10."Airfryers: I had a glass bowl convection oven before airfryers were popular. I got it for $30 at Home Depot. Used it for seven years till the cooking bulb burnt out. Then started using my Instant Pot airfryer option. I thought it was a joke at first. It's amazing."
—I_Call_Everyone_Ken
11."The internet: I prefer nearly everything about modern life over how it used to be, but on-demand, easy, instant access to information and entertainment from around the world through the internet is far and away the best."
—Hegemonic_Smegma
12."Word processing: Because typing a perfect paper sucked. You'd always make a mistake, and sometimes you'd want to change enough that you'd have to do the whole thing over again. And again. And again. Because the more times you re-did it, the more likely you were to screw up."
—nakedonmygoat
13."GPS: My son is at the age where he is starting to take long car trips with friends. I was just thinking about how back in the day we would go to AAA to get all the maps needed. It's really a big deal how easy it is to get directions now."
—browneyedgirlpie
14."Video calls: Being able to video call loved ones anytime, anywhere. It doesn't replace being there, but it makes the distance feel a little less heavy."
—WarmClassroom4997
15."The Lord of the Rings fandom: Don't get me wrong, there are aspects of my childhood that I miss (I was born in '76, so primary school in the '80s, high school early '90s, going out to nightclubs late '90s). However, if I got to choose to start it all over again, I would choose to be in high school now rather than 30 years ago. Let me put it this way: I was really into The Lord of the Rings in high school, back before I had heard there were going to be big blockbuster movies about it. I was bullied horrifically for it, to the point I was so embarrassed. I was kind of forced to stop liking it for the shame. Now, it's a regular thing for people to admit they enjoy it and have LotR marathons and be considered 'normal people' rather than hardcore nerds/geeks."
—ExaminationNo9186
16."Cable and streaming TV: Home entertainment was limited to four or five channels. Miss your favorite show? You had to buy a TV Guide magazine or the Sunday newspaper to figure out what night and time the re-run would air. Sometimes you had to sit up to 2 a.m. on a work or school night to catch last week's episode of Cheers or The Cosby Show. Want to watch a movie for a little cost? It took two to three years before movies you missed in the theater showed up on a ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC broadcast."
—Sufficient-Union-456
"I'm literally alive because of medical advances."
—HeadCatMomCat
Is there an aspect of modern life that you so prefer to the past? Let us know in the comments or through the anonymous form below!
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