The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Society is continually evolving, yet human nature remains
constant. Over time, new technologies have served to
dramatically alter society, but the needs and desires of
individuals within that society have remained the same. The
most basic of these needs is the compulsion to find one's
place within society. There comes a time in everyone's life
at which it becomes necessary to define their role in the
world. To determine this role, each person must at some
point set out upon a journey. The journey need not be a
physical journey as it is in Kerouac's On the Road, but like
the novel the journey must fulfill one's spiritual needs.
It is only when one understands themselves that they may
function within society. A journey is nothing more than a
passage from one place to another. It is only when one is
critically conscious of the journey that they may truly
In the past 50 years the changes underwent by society
have been immense. As technology has undergone significant
advancements, society has changed to adapt. Breakthroughs
in technology such as the widespread use of television,
computers, and the Internet have significantly altered
society. These advancements have all led to a more informed
society, one that has access to incredible amounts of
information. The idea of being informed has its downfalls
however. This plethora of information alters one's view of
the world. In the 1950's, largely because of the lack of
information, crime appeared to occur at a much lower rate
than it does in the 1990's and as a whole everyone felt
safe. The 1990's, with the bombardment of crime related
stories from the media on television and the Internet of
crimes appears to be at a record high. This, however, is
not the case. In effect, crime rates from 1950 compared to
those from 1998 ...