Not a particularly progressive thinker when it comes to gadgetry, it’s often difficult for me to keep up with the newest trends in technology. It seems as though every time I adjust to the newest software or screen interface, I’m forced to upgrade to something else! I guess I have no choice but to keep up. Although overwhelming at times, I’m constantly in awe whenever I catch these new waves of the future!

Being in Bangkok and seeing how it’s adapted makes me remember this very thought. All around us, our cities and countries are changing at alarming rates. (Was it really only a few years ago that I was using a CD player?) In Bangkok, change is around every corner. For example, I visited a busy open air market, stocked high with fruits and vegetables. This particular market has been operating in the same location for over one hundred years. To keep up with the capital city’s transportation demands, the government extended the commuter railway tracks right through the market grounds. In other cities, the market vendors may have decided to move their business, but at this market they just decided to work around the inconvenience. That’s certainly one way to adjust to the times!

This sort of change and adapting to new needs, happens all the time. In New York City, trains once carried wheat, salt, and other materials to factories via overhead tracks. As the city evolved, these factories relocated. Seeing as the trains were not longer needed, the tracks went silent for years. Recently, the city converted them into a elevated winding park, which now attracts tourists from all over the world.

Sometimes change might not be positive, or at least, causes debate. Due to the rapidly growing population in China, the government struggled to meet demands for electricity. To satisfy its population’s needs, a huge dam was constructed to generate power from the flow of the Yangtze River. While hydro-electric power is much cleaner than coal or gas, stopping the flow of the water created a lake behind this dam. As a result, over 1.2 million people were moved from their homes located in the valleys that this lake now fills. Oftentimes, it is hard to balance the needs of the future against the values of today.

Up Next: The Gentle Giants.

Blog by Tati Amare, Jenny M. Buccos, Gabrielle Pasternak & Rachel Rudwall.
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